Sea of Ice
by Zavijah
Summary: AU. SxS and others Sequel to Sea of Fire. A war is brewing, secrets are slipping, and sorceresses are meddling. Where in the chaos will there ever be a moment to rest?
1. First Night

**YOU CANNOT READ THIS STORY UNLESS  
YOU HAVE READ**(and reviewed!)** SEA OF FIRE!**

Seriously, this story won't make any sense if you haven't read Sea of Fire. I warned you. I don't want to see any reviews complaining about how the things don't make any sense. This story is a direct continuation of **SEA OF FIRE**. So, click my pen name and go look under the list of stories I have authored.

As for the rest of you..

**Sea of Ice**

**Chapter 1: First Night**

The desert had always been notorious for it's scorching heat. The unblinking stare of the high noon sun was enough to make even shadows wither up and die. The golden sand that had once been seen as beautiful now became a blinding stretch of land. Each diamond-like grain felt like red-hot coals against the bare flesh of uncovered feet. It was truly a sea of fire to any traveler that was unlucky enough to be caught amidst its sandy waves.

The dangerous combination of a merciless sun and shy waterhole was enough to drive any man insane. The heat alone could shrivel the strongest man into a pile of bones. It was because of this unforgiving weather that small towns, such as Velden, were built. It wasn't a place where anyone would want to live. It was a place where travelers could escape from the sun and greet two old friends: Water and Shade.

**Seifer:**

"What are your plans?" A young man with uneven, dark brown hair and cold blue-gray eyes asked after taking a long drink from his water cup. His expressionless face was gazing at the person in question—a tall blonde with a handsome face and a pair of sharp green eyes.

"Our plans, Squall, _our_ plans," the blonde stressed the pronoun while flashing the other a teasing smile.

It made Squall tense and look down at his now empty cup. It took only a few seconds for the brunet to resume his icy stare that he raised to clash with the vivacious jade of the blonde's eyes. "I don't seem to have any choice in where I am going, so the plans are not _ours_, Seifer."

The blonde shook his head in momentary defeat. Every time he tried to talk of them being together as "we" and "our", Squall would always find a way to separate himself from everyone, everything. It sounded like a lonely thing to do—Seifer had no clue, he was still learning the quirks of the former slave known as Squall Leonhart.

"_We_," Seifer began to answer the first question while ignore Squall's attempt to be a prisoner of war in their travels. "—are going to head east."

Squall look as if he had swallowed his tongue. His whole body twitched then froze against the chair. His eyes lost their blue hue, leaving Seifer to peer into a depthless pair of slate gray eyes. It took a few moments of odd looks on Seifer's part before Squall could manage to breath a reply. "Why?"

Seifer arched his golden eyebrows in suspicion of his new companion. It irked him ever so slightly to hear that particular question. Squall was always asking why—and it was up to Seifer to magically figure out what the brunet wanted to know. Honestly, Squall _could_ put a few more words into his vocabulary; it would make communication so much easier—and heaven forbid that it might even become enjoyable for once. With this growling thought circling his mind, Seifer decided to give a stupid response just to grind at the other's nerves.

"I heard they have trees there. Can you imagine such a thing? Trees, Squall, _trees_!" Seifer let the words fly out then he falsely smiled to stress the sarcasm.

"Wha—" Squall cut short with a frustrated growl when he realized it was a joke. The storm began to brew once more in his eyes, which he narrowed at the blonde jester. "Can't I just stay here? I don't want to be part of this stupid escapade of yours."

Seifer slowly frowned at the words that had managed to prick at a sensitive nerve. Ever so gently, subtly had Seifer been suggest that they stay together during their travels—that they should _be together_. But every time he got knocked down before he could even stand. Perhaps Squall did not mean what he said because there seemed to be a deeper meaning to the negative comments. Seifer could tell because as soon as Squall said it, he looked away to hide his face—which was maybe to hide his eyes that seemed to swirl with an indecision that Seifer could easily picked up on. It was a habit of the brunets that the blonde was growing accustom to—it meant that Squall was holding something back.

Regardless, instead of trying to pry his way into 'the glacier', Seifer adverted his own gaze to examine the small room they occupied. It was an undersized shady building that was built around a deep well. A man by the name of Ward owned the place and he had opened it up for travelers to come in, rest and refill their waterskins. The master of the house was absent, but one shady figure sat harmlessly in the corner. Despite how secluded they were, Seifer dropped his voice so Squall had to strain to hear, "I'm not trying to drag you around to meaningless places. The east is the only option we have open to us. You don't know my father. He is a stubborn, ruthless man that will not forgive the humiliation I gave him this morning. Soon he will send out men to come hunt us down. If they find me, I will be forced to return to Zamir and receive judgment from the Gods. But you.. they will most likely kill you on sight. This is not a vacation, Squall, this is an escape.."

Squall's brows together and the corners of his lips turned down in an almost invisible frown. "Why not the southern or northern kingdoms? Why does it have to be the east?"

Seifer turned his eyes back to the brunet in order to try and read the other's thoughts by taking in the body language. But Squall was simply an unhappy piece of frozen stone with no inscriptions to be read. "My father has allies in both of those places. I am highly recognized in either territory. However, in the east there is an uprising of people who rebel against my father—he would not dare step foot there because of the risk of starting a war.

Squall's head rolled forward and rested against the inside of his arm. It wasn't visible, but the brunet was scowling darkly at the logic of Seifer's words—but it did not make him any happier.

"It is as that saying goes," Seifer propped his elbow up on the table and rested his chin on his upturned palm. He looked down at his opposite with interest flickering in his green eyes. "Into the den of the lion."

"You have no idea," Squall raised his head with an apathetic expression once again gracing his features.

It confused Seifer. The blonde had no idea what to assume from the mixture of reactions from the other. He knew Squall was keeping secrets, but he also knew that there was no way that the brunet was going to open up and share the knowledge. Ice was not meant to be picked away at with a chisel—or it would crack, and then shatter to pieces along with the secrets on the inside. Instead, if one would take their time and slowly melt the ice, then they would find what had been hidden for so long.

"All in due time, Squall," Seifer let his hand drop to the table as he smiled knowingly at the other.

"What is that suppose to mean?" Squall arched a single eyebrow at his traveling partner. It was a cold, meaningless question but curiosity still filtered into his eyes as faint shades of dark blue.

"Eventually you will warm up to me," Seifer jested then smirked when Squall's eyes snapped back to an opaque shade of gray. _If I say anything even slightly suggestive he immediately shells himself away_.

"I don't want anything that has to deal with the word 'warm'. I had my share of that out there in the sun," Squall's retort came a bit late, but was welcomed by Seifer none-the-less.

The tanned blonde rose from his chair and reached over to lightly flick the end of Squall's nose—earning an annoyed scowl. "Tell me that again in a few hours. I think by then you will have changed your mind."

**Squall:**

"I doubt it," Squall mumbled and watched as Seifer started to leave. The brunet began to rise as well, but a subtle gesture from the blonde made him sit back down in his chair. Quietly Squall watched as the ex-prince exited the building.

_What is he doing? He can't just leave me here.._

Squall gazed around the vacant room. His cobalt eyes fell on the stranger seated in the corner. Even though the cloaked man posed no threat, Squall suddenly felt exposed. Sure he liked the silence and solitude, but this was now different. The situation had changed and now Squall had a price on his head. Funny that he wanted to avoid that, since not but a month ago he would have gladly given away his life for death. Besides, right then he didn't have Seifer to get him out of trouble.

_I can take care of myself_, Squall narrowed his eyes at the stranger in cold anger. The emotion soon passed and Squall folded his arms over the wooden table as he reminded himself that the only 'solution' he had ever made was to run away from home—then by some miracle he has survived and had then hid in Zamir. That was no longer an option, and once again Squall found himself 'running away'.

_At least I am not alone this time_, Squall frowned and focused his gaze on the empty chair across from him. It felt nice to have someone around—even though Squall hated to rely on others for anything; especially something as foolish as 'company'. But, didn't he owe it to Seifer to at least accompany him to as far as the eastern borders? The blonde _did_ leave everything.. for nothing.. it was one big mistake. Although, right then Squall didn't have the other's company and he _was_ alone. He did not like the distress that came with the state of being.

Impatiently Squall drummed his fingers against the hard wood table. The noise echoed mockingly through the small room. He would wait for Seifer—there was no other option. The brunet snorted at the last thought. Since when did he not have a choice? Was he not a free man?

..Even so, Squall couldn't think of one place to go. He was not familiar with the lands around the western kingdom. He would have to rely on Seifer to guide him to safety. There it was again, bitterly having to rely on someone else for support. Or maybe.. Squall did want to go with the renegade prince—they had so much in common, but Squall wouldn't dare explain himself to Seifer. What if the blonde became angry and just left Squall to fend for himself?

_I can't risk losing him_, Squall though. His eyes swirled with blue as he reflected on his inner turmoil when he analyzed his own words. Surely he was not interested in becoming close to the other—but it wouldn't hurt to travel together for safety reasons.

The man in the corner rose and stretched his tired limbs. From looks it appeared to Squall that the stranger was built like a palace guard—broad shoulders, intimidating height, and an air of authority hung around him. It made Squall even more uncomfortable. Should he run—where? Into the blazing hot sands without food or water? Should he sit and vainly cling to a thread of hope that perhaps the man was not one of the guards Seifer had been talking about earlier?

Option two seemed the more logical choice.

Squall wrapped his hands around his empty water cup. He adverted his eyes to the dirt floor when the stranger began to walk towards the exit (which, regrettably, was next to Squall's table). The stranger shuffled by with Squall closely watching the passing feet. Curiosity kicked in and Squall let his eyes flick upwards to the man's face just before he passed. A dark-skinned face centered around two onyx eyes gazed back at him. Squall snapped his eyes back onto his cup. It was a mistake to look up—now he had drawn attention to himself.

"Heeey, don't I know you?" the gruff, accented voice of the stranger asked while pausing in step.

_No. No… go away.. please.._ Squall played deaf to the other and stared intently at a small drop of water that clung so desperately to the bottom of his cup, like how Squall was clinging to a thin thread of hope that the stranger would leave.

"You're from the palace ain't ya?" the stranger bent down to attempt to look at Squall's face.

_Gods.. no.. I don't want.. to go back there.._ Squall tilted his head forward so that his long bangs shadowed his face. _ This cannot be happening.._

"Hey.." A hand came down onto Squall's shoulder—as if to seize him—to capture him and drag him back to Zamir in order to be executed.

The small action and physical contact was enough to finally break Squall out of his ice and cause a reaction. The brunet dropped the cup to roll off the table and clattered against the floor. Without hesitating, Squall knocked the man's hand away and swerved around as he jumped from his seat and made a break for the exit—only to run into a solid chest of another broad-shouldered man that grabbed Squall's shoulders in order to prevent them both from falling.

"Whoa, what's with you?"

Squall was trapped. They had cornered him in this building. Seifer had left him—left Squall as bait in order to distract the guards while he escaped. How could Seifer do that after talking about traveling together? Was Squall so meaningless after all? Just a slave to be tossed to the dogs?

"No!" Squall jerked out of the new man's grasp. He began to slip past when the stranger snared his wrist with a powerful grip.

"Squa—" The man began but was cut short when Squall's hard fist connected with his jaw.

The brunet's wrist was released but before he could make his escape two muscled arms encircled his upper torso in a rough hug that pinned both of his arms to his body. Foreign lips brushed past Squall's ear and were followed by calming whispers. "Squall, it's me. Calm down. What happened? What's wrong?"

Squall stopped thrashing when the voice had taken on a famliar tone. It was Seifer. The blonde hadn't left him after all. "I don't want to go back.."

The grip around Squall's chest loosened slightly as Seifer pulled away, "go back where? What do—"

"Prince Seifer..?"

Squall felt Seifer tense, then suddenly the protective circle was gone as the blonde dropped his arms in order to turn and face the stranger. Without thinking, Squall spun around and rested his forehead against Seifer's back while subconsciously clutching the blonde's black shirt for a sense of security. The warmth of the other's body against his head comforted Squall, it reminded him that he was not alone anymore.

_I don't want to go back.._

**Seifer:**

For being gone only a few minutes, things certainly did take a sudden turn in events. Squall was certainly upset over something, but 'what' was the question Seifer found himself stumped upon. He could only wish that the brunet had missed him—but that was only feeble wishing.

However, the way Squall was currently nestling up against his back made him re-think his thoughts. Upon someone calling his name, Seifer straightened himself to his full height and felt the need to protect the brunet from the stranger. Had the other man assaulted Squall? Hurt him? Threatened him? What was going on?

"Is that really you, Seif?" Another question came repeated the blonde's name.

Seifer narrowed his eyes at the cloaked figure. The man was familiar, yet not. The feeling of Squall tightening his fist in the black shirt made the blonde untrusting of the newcomer, "Who are you?"

"Er, it's me, Raijin, can't ya tell?" The tall dark-skinned man pulled the hood off his head to reveal a head of thick, black hair.

It did look like Raijin. It sounded like Raijin. Seifer had never seen the former guard in civilian clothes—but he knew one thing for sure, "You're dead."

"Huh? What? No—" Raijin shook his head and stepped forward to look at his prince more clearly. "I'm not dead! I just, uh, well.."

The action caused Squall to press closer against Seifer's back. The blonde picked up on the hostility and glared at Raijin, warning him to keep his distance. "What did you do to him?"

"Er," Raijin appeared stumped at the question, then his eyes lit up at the glimpse of brown hair over Seifer's shoulder. "I was just saying hi to him—ya'know, 'cause I recognized him by his eyes. You said he had beautiful eyes n'all."

Seifer felt a warmth spread through his cheeks, but it didn't lessen his hard glare. Raijin continued his explanation. "But he wasn't listenin' to me so I went to shake his shoulder and he flipped out!"

"Whatever. I don't care anymore. What are you doing here? Rinoa showed me your head in a box. What kind of scheme are you playing a part of?" Seifer shook his head in confusion.

"Seifer, my prince, I would never turn against you!" Raijin raised his hands in a surrendering gesture. "It was like this. We camped out in the desert like you asked. That night we snuck into Rinoa's camp—but she was just sittin' there, waitin' for us! The whole place erupted in chaos and then she began to _glow_. It was scary ya know? There were all these flashes of lightening, so I took cover. Afterwards she found me. Oh boy was she angry! She said some nasty things about you then told me that I better not return to the city or she would chop off my head—and I'm kinda attached to it, ya'know?"

The former guard laughed dryly while slowly withering under the harsh glare of the ex-prince. Seifer took in the details and allowed himself to relax, as it seemed the danger had passed. It still didn't make him happy to hear the past news. "Why would she show me a head—like yours—in a box? It doesn't make any sense."

"I dunno, maybe she wanted to scare ya.." Raijin shrugged.

"Or make you fear her," Squall softly added his opinion while lifting his head away from it's comfortable rest against Seifer's back. "Because you don't.."

The blonde glanced over his shoulder at the brunet, who backed away a few steps. Seifer frowned at the loss of contact—the moment had been brief and probably by accident, but it had been nice. Now that it was gone Seifer couldn't help but feel a small hollow spot form inside of his chest.

"What are you doing here?" Raijin's question brought Seifer back to current events.

The ex-prince turned away and picked up a bundle of items that he had dropped upon running into Squall at the door. Three full waterskins, two knapsacks full of food, one dagger, one shirt and a pair of sandals. He handed the shirt and sandals to Squall. The brunet began to dress without being told. Seifer then fixed his attention back onto Raijin. "Listen to me carefully, Raijin, you never saw us in this town. You never talked to us. Nothing. This meeting we had never happened. Got it?"

Raijin's face twisted in confusion. Seifer didn't leave any chance for questions. He handed Squall one waterskin and a knapsack. "We need to get moving."

"Wait, where are you going?" Raijin burst as he watched Seifer throw on the remaining two waterskins, knapsack and dagger.

"I can't tell you," Seifer spared a glance to the guard. If one person could find them so easily, then it was only a matter of time before someone of real danger found them. If by change they found Raijin, Seifer couldn't allow information to slip from the former guard's mouth. "If you swear your are loyal to me, then you must forget that you saw us."

One nudge from Seifer was enough to send Squall walking. Seifer followed close behind and they left the building to enter the heat of the evening. Raijin hounded after them with desperation burning in his eyes, "Wait, can't I come with ya?"

"No," Seifer almost shouted. Squall looked up in alarm at the harsh response. His brows knitted together with questions. Seifer pinned his gaze onto Raijin who dejectedly looked aside, but shifted hopefully foot to foot. Why didn't he want Raijin to come? Seifer glanced thoughtfully to Squall who stood an arm's length away. Logic said it would be safer to travel in a group.

_He'd slow us down_, Seifer attempted to argue with his common sense. _Besides, he might be acting as a spy. I can't take the risk_.

The blonde adjusted the straps over his shoulders then turned and began to walk away. He lightly touched Squall's arm to lead the other towards the end of the town. Deep down inside he knew the reason why he was leaving Raijin behind. He just selfishly wanted to be alone with Squall—it was hard enough to get the brunet to open up with just himself present. Seifer didn't want to attempt to try and converse with Squall when more people were around. That was… not in Seifer's plans..

"Raijin, I have one last order for you," Seifer turned to address the former guard. Raijin stood straight; ready to receive the final command. "If anyone comes looking for either one of us, I want you to prevent them from following us. I'm counting on you to carry out that order."

Seifer then turned away to continue walking with Squall out of town. Silence settled between the two once more as they marched out into the burning sands of orange and red. Seifer had a few question lying on the tip of his tongue—but they didn't want to fall out into the open to be heard. Instead, Seifer merely watched the landscape change. It was his favorite time of the day—when the prideful, evening sun sank below the horizon to surrender the land to the calm blue of the night. As the last rays of sunlight faded, Seifer began to notice how truly dark it was—because there was no moon in the sky. Traveling by mere starlight was proving difficult because Seifer could no longer make out the Estharian cliffs. He _could_ use the stars as directions, but Seifer had never really been a big fan of astrology..

"You.. tried to kill Rinoa?" Squall's voice broke the long silence much to Seifer's surprise.

"It wouldn't be the first time that I've pulled such a stunt. I don't know if I really wanted to kill her.. maybe scare her into stopping her from pulling her stunts.." Seifer pulled at the straps digging into his shoulder. He had shared the information so freely. If anyone else had asked they would have received some kind of sardonic remark. However, maybe opening up to Squall was the key to getting the brunet to open up in return..

"And at the expense of someone else's life?" Squall's words stung.

Seifer winced at the scolding while mentally noting to _not_ share so much information. Did Squall ask that question just to make Seifer twist on the inside? Fine. If he wanted to ask questions that stepped on each other's toes, then Seifer could return what he was given. "What happened earlier in town between you and Raijin?"

"I thought he was one of the guards you were talking about," Squall mumbled, his voice barely reaching Seifer's ears.

The blonde spun around with a smirk of satisfaction on his lips. Squall had just walked into his verbal trap. "Is that why you ran to me, for protection from the big bad guard?"

Squall narrowed his eyes at Seifer. The color of the eyes blended in with the blue sands of the desert, but unlike the calm landscape, Squall eyes were guarded as he responded defensively. "I seem to recall punching you."

"And I seem to remember you burying your face into the back of my neck and clutching my shirt like a lost child," Seifer cooed, then immediately regretted his words. The memory was slightly evoking, causing Seifer to swallow an invisible lump in his throat.

"I did not.." Squall's eyes were focused on the sand. It was getting difficult to see without the sun to light up every grain of sand. There were so few stars out, and their light seemed to be sucked into the dark of the black velvet sky. So intent on seeing his own two feet, Squall missed the way Seifer stopped walking, thus causing the brunet to run straight into the tall blonde. "Erf.."

"We better rest for the night," Seifer dropped the waterskins and knapsack—keeping the dagger secure at his waist.

"What? Won't it be better if we travel under the cover of night, then rest during the day to avoid the heat?" Squall frowned despite that the gesture was lost in the darkness.

"It would be if we were wandering aimlessly, but I need to be able to see where we are going so that we don't go too far south, or too close to some of the more busy towns.." Seifer sat down in the sand and gazed up at Squall.

Squall blinked down at his opposite, catching the way the starlight shone with a strange luster in the other's green eyes. "I guess that makes sense.."

Seifer quietly watched as Squall sat down besides him, but out of reach. Smirking, the blonde laid back and used one of the waterskins as a pillow between his head and the sand. He rolled onto his back and stared up at the moonless sky, not feeling the least bit tired but he knew it was better to try and sleep.

The stars looked down at the ex-prince, taking their individual turns at shining more brightly than the stars next to them. It was like a mystical language, some kind of message from Gods. There were priests that devoted their lives to staring at the burning points of colored light that dotted the night sky. Seifer had never been one to take interest in the activities of priests.

_What are you trying to tell me? _Seifer mused to himself while folding his hands behind his head. The cold of the night was starting to bite as his skin now that he was no longer moving to keep warm. It probably would have been a good idea to bring bedrolls, and blankets—but then he would have to buy so many other things to go along with that, and the haul would prove to be too much during the daylight hours. They would survive without those items. Squall had yet to complain.

To ignore the cold, Seifer focused his attention on the stars—watching their rhythmic sparkling. _I think you are trying to tell me to sleep.._

Green eyes centered on a small red star that appeared separated from all the others. Subconsciously Seifer laid one of his hands on his chest where his fingertips brushed against the bump in his shirt, where beneath the linen fabric laid a metal ornament connected to the silver chain circling his neck.

_Griever.._

The red star burned brightly, then faded. Seifer watched as it repeated the pattern several times. His fingers followed the rhythm by tracing the lion cross. _ I need to return this to Squall.._

The red star faded until Seifer could no longer single it out from the others. The trance was fading and soon was shattered by the lone howling of a stray torama.

"I did it.. because.. I didn't want to be alone anymore.." Squall's voice soon followed in the silence after the hungry animal's cry.

Seifer stilled against the sand. Was Squall talking to him—did the brunet know he was awake? The blonde bit down on his lips, not wanting to say anything that would cause Squall to stop talking. To his joy, the brunet continued after a moment of silence. "You wouldn't understand.."

There was noise of the other moving in the sand. Seifer closed his eyes in order to not be caught listening. He didn't think the brunet was actually talking to him—well, he was talking _to_ him, but not expecting to be heard in return. Suddenly Seifer felt something brush against his arm and side. Squall was lying down next to him? What are the odds of that happening?

"You don't know how it feels to be alone for years, then to have someone you don't know give up everything they know, and say they want to be with you, want to get to know you.." Squall murmured, but it was nearly inaudible so that even though his lips were practically next to Seifer's ear, he sounded far, far away. "It doesn't feel real.."

Seifer kept his silence and mulled quietly over the words. He listened as Squall shifted his sleeping position so that he was lying with his back resting against Seifer's side. A tremor ran throughout the brunet's body, unintentionally telling Seifer that he was cold. It sent a smirk across the blonde's lips.

"Then after hearing that someone wants to be with me, that person leaves me without saying a word and I am faced with trying to figure out what to do in a land I know nothing about. I thought everything was going to be fine, like they said, but then one of my fears approaches me and I don't know what to do.." Squall talked softly to the sands before shivering again.

"I wouldn't leave you behind.." Seifer finally spoke up and smiled at the tensing of the body next to his. That confirmed his suspicion: Squall indeed did think he was asleep. The blonde rolled onto his side and pressed his back up against Squall's. It would be warmer for the younger that way—it would be warmer if Seifer could turn the other way and wrap his arms around the brunet, but he thought that too bold of a move. "Now, I thought I told you that you would change your mind about wanting anything to do with the word 'warm'"

Silence filled the air. Seifer remained smirking until he felt Squall relax back against him. It was a small bit of acceptance, and that was all Seifer needed to finally let his eyes fall to a close..

**End Chapter.**

**A/N:**_ Ahh, I'm so happy that I still have my old reviewers! (Canyon, Redrum, Love Witch) LW, I would never want to lose you! Redrum, you have so many good stories you need to finish too! Canyon, you are going to see a lot of action in this half of the tale. _

_I hope my sequel begins to satisfy all the questions my last one surfaced. Eee, I thought you guys just disappeared into life. It makes me happy to see you are still around 3_

_So, yes, forgive the lame title. Sea of Fire. Sea of Ice. They are not random. The first story, Fire, was more about Seifer and his land. This sequel, Ice, is venturing more into Squall and his land. Fire and Ice. Do I symbolize that enough in the story? Lol. Anyway.. so much to write now. I better get to work. Have I mentioned that this Quick Edit thing is awesome?_


	2. Sand

**Sea of Ice**

**Chapter 2: Sand**

**Squall:**

It had been a week since Squall's escape from the dungeon in Zamir. Seifer had been true to his word and had never left the brunet alone—almost to the degree of becoming annoying. The blonde was always there making sure Squall ate, had enough to drink, and he also made sure that Squall got sufficient rest. No one would ever have guessed that Seifer was the arrogant, headstrong prince that once resided in Zamir; not if they saw how he fussed over Squall.

The brunet tried to ignore the treatment and instead he focused most of his attention of the landscape that was slowly changing with each day that went by. With each passing sun, Squall also learned a little more about the renegade prince; such as how the man knew the kingdom territories fairly well. Seifer had explained that he was forced to study maps in the past years, and being forced to travel to see distant family for business had breathed life into the flat maps.

The main landmark that Seifer used was the Estharian Cliffs that stood in the far east. They were a guiding light to Seifer, but to Squall they were a sucking darkness. Each day the cliffs grew taller, and each day Squall grew more nervous..

But the blonde was always two-steps ahead, making sure to avoid well-known towns and rough terrain—such as quick sand pools. The two had only crossed paths with a few people who lived in small towns like Velden. There was no exchange of conversation. The stops they took in those places were strictly to renew their water and food supply. Everything was working out so wonderfully that Squall had forgotten that they were being hunted(or so Seifer said), and also that they were headed straight into the den of the lion(also words of the blonde).

"Are you able to read those inscriptions that line the front hall of the palace?" Squall asked. He had shed his constant silence the day before when his curiosity had gotten the better of him. At first it had only been a simple questions, but Seifer had answered without hesitation and with complete honesty. Squall couldn't help but ask about more things. He loved to learn, and his thirst for knowledge grew stronger the more information that was rewarded to him.

"Of course I can. Just because I was a snobby, spoiled prince doesn't mean I wasn't taught reading and writing if that is what you think," Seifer replied with a glance over his shoulder. They were walking in a straight line with the former prince leading the way and inquiring brunet close behind.

"No. I didn't mean that," Squall shot a sour look at the blonde's back. "It's just that _I_ can't read them."

"Oh.." the blonde responded with a hint of guilt reflecting in the singular word.

"Do you remember what it says?" Squall looked off to the side in awkwardness. He swore he sounded like a child by asking the naive questions.

"It said a lot of things," Seifer's vague answer made Squall frown. The brunet had a habit of dancing around what he really wanted to ask. It was frustrating for both patrons, but Seifer always seemed to figure out what Squall wanted to know in the end. This moment was no different. After a few moments of silence passed, the blonde paused and pivoted to pin Squall with his vibrant green eyes. "Why do you ask?"

"Just curious," Squall shrugged indifferently and slowed to a halt in order to meet the blonde's gaze.

"I know you are curious, but what about exactly?" Seifer pried into Squall's poor excuse.

_Caught again,_ the brunet mused and over-looked his companion to try and read the body language present. Was Seifer angry? Annoyed that Squall was again avoiding a real conversation? It didn't appear so. The blonde only looked to be a bit tired—it was getting close to nightfall after all. Though, the very thought of sleeping caused Squall to look down at the sand to hide the way his cheeks began to burn with embarrassment. The past two nights, Squall had woken up in the morning to find Seifer's arms around his waist as they had somehow gone from sleeping back-to-back to back-to-chest. Sure it was a way to keep warm—but was _that_ necessary? Not that Squall found it uncomfortable or disgusting. It was the fact that Squall felt _too_ at ease and content when lying in the blonde's strong arms.

"Squall, what is it?" Seifer's words chased away the memory and called the brunet back to reality.

"I just remember seeing images of the Gods painted on the walls," came Squall's attempt at a casual reply.

Seifer shook his head lightly at his own eternal thoughts. He then turned and began to walk forward again. The blonde had caught onto the unvoiced question. "Really? Which one do you remember the most?"

Squall kept his silence for a moment until he felt the heat in his cheeks fade away. His memory flashed with a new image, one of a black, three-headed canine chiseled into tan stone. Its fangs were bared in a horrible snarl. Three pairs of eyes sparkled with emerald stones. "Cerberus."

"The devourer of souls.." Seifer echoed. Squall moved in a step or two closer, expecting to receive a story. The blonde had yet to disappoint the brunet in both failing to tell a good story and also finding out what Squall wanted to hear. "Cerberus is the God responsible for taking care of the filth that walks these lands. Those that rape, kill or steal are all ignorant of the Gods laws, so it is Cerberus that makes sure these lowlifes never get a taste of the afterlife. He is always consuming the souls of the wicked—always are his fangs shredding away the flesh of sinful humans."

_I know this_, Squall thought as Seifer's words trailed off. He caught the sight of the blonde smirking, apparently waiting to see Squall's brows draw together in an involuntary frown. _He's just toying with me again.._

"You probably know that, but I am trying to refresh your memory. It's because of his continuous feasting that Cerberus went mad with blood lust. He began to kill people just to satisfy his undying hunger. The innocent began to find themselves victims to the unmerciful beast."

The sky seemed to grow dark as the forlorn tale began to unfold. Seifer really was bringing light to the words-or, actually brining the dark out. Then again, Squall had always been someone who could lose himself in a good story.

"Cerberus rampaged the land unleashed. The pits of hell began to burn brighter as Cerberus sent more unwanted souls into the fire. The world began to die because of the unbalance between the living and the dead. The flames of hell grew, reaching out into the mortal world to scorch the land and turn it into waste. The fire was so intense that everything was reduced to mounds of small melted crystals.."

Squall recalled the sand that laid over the land surrounding Zamir. The golden grains were a direct connection to the story, because they _did_ resemble broken pieces of a crystal. Such a small detail created a new sense of truth into the tale.

"For months the renegade beast roamed the dry sands that had once been a flourishing landscape. Cerberus drew close to Zamir with death and disease lingering in his tracks. He ravaged the city, killing anything living that was in his path. He then came upon the palace and climbed the stairs where he prowled straight into the royal chambers. The pharaoh of that time was sitting there, waiting for Cerberus to come. This man did not fear death, and he stared straight into the eyes of the demon. As Cerberus stepped forward with all fangs bared and dripping with the blood of the palace guards, the pharaoh lifted his arm, pointed at Cerberus and said… … there's a storm coming."

Squall lifted his eyes from the ground. The image of the story has been shattered by the lack of climax. Or rather, the last phrase didn't follow the dark mood Seifer had set. "What..?"

"No. A storm is coming, we need to find shelter—now." Seifer had stopped walking.

Squall came up next to the blonde. He looked towards the sky in slight confusion. "I don't see any clouds."

Squall felt Seifer's hand against the back of his head. His gaze was forced away from the sky to look at the horizon instead. In the distance stood an ominous wall draped in moving shadows. That explained why it had gotten dark during Seifer's story; the wall had blocked out the sun.. and it was moving closer.

"Not that kind of a storm," the words echoed the anger Seifer was trying to contain. The blonde took a few steps, then turned and paced back to his original place.

"What is that?" Squall's eyes were still transfixed on the living wall inching towards them.

"It's a bad fucking[1] sign, that's what it is," Seifer growled and ran a hand through his short golden hair. His green eyes frantically scanned their surroundings. "Just great. There's no shelter. We are royally screwed."

Squall felt his insides go numb. Whatever that moving wall was—whatever kind of storm it was—it was making Squall taste an all too familiar fear. If it made Seifer nervous, then it had to be bad. The renegade prince was always so confident in what to do in the past. There had never been a moment where Squall had seen the other unsure. It made him very uncomfortable.

"Squall," Seifer stepped in front of the brunet, breaking the vacant stare between cobalt eyes and the desert storm. "Listen to me. Whatever happens, you must stick close to me."

"Why? What's happening?" Squall let his eyes meet with Seifer's. The green had faded to a darker shade of jade. Something else was swirling in the blonde's eyes, something that Squall recognized to be fear—but it was well hidden behind forced courage.

"I gather that you have never experienced a sand storm," Seifer glanced over his shoulder at the rushing sand. Squall could feel the wind starting to pick up around them and he could also hear the distant roar of the storm as it drew closer. "It's very easy to get separated."

"Then we can just stay here and wait it out.." Squall's words trailed off when Seifer began to shake his head in disagreement.

"We'll get buried alive without shelter. We need to keep moving if we want to live," the blonde drew in a slow, deep breath; a way to calm his nerves.

Squall didn't follow Seifer's example. Instead he drew in smaller breaths that caused his heartbeat to quicken. The way Seifer was acting was making Squall more anxious. Fear was spreading though his senses, making him tune out the world, yet remain sharply aware of the dirt that was beginning to pick up off the ground with the increase of wind speed. It was just a storm. Why was Squall getting so emotional?

Suddenly Seifer was all over Squall. The blonde pulled up the ends of Squall's shirt before the brunet could shove the taller aside. Anger burned in shades of green. "Damn you to the pits of hell Squall, did you hear a word I just said? Take off your shirt—"

"—What!?" Squall scowled while pulling his shirt back down to cover his body.

"For the love of Bahamut, stop it! Just—ugh—forget it. Do what you want," Seifer's voice was rising in volume, but so was the roar of the approaching wall of sand. The blonde stripped off his own shirt and wrapped it loosely around his head—covering his face. He then extended his hand towards Squall. "Give me your hand."

Doubtful, Squall peered suspiciously at the offered hand. His eyes darted to the swirling wall that was closing in on them. The wind had grown in strength and it was whipping Squall's long strands of hair into his eyes—eyes that were already beginning to sting from the mixture of wind and dirt. The sky grew darker as the storm was feet from engulfing them.

"Squall! We don't have time for this. Give me your hand!" Seifer bellowed, but his words were lost in the ferocious wind. "You said you trusted me. Prove that to me now—take my hand!"

Squall closed his eyes against the pieces of sand that began to pelt his face. Blindly he reached out and bumped his hand into Seifer's. The blonde quickly seized a firm grip and Squall was being dragged forward, a few seconds later Squall felt the power of the sandstorm. It was like the sky had burst open, but instead of rain falling down, it was buckets of hard sand. The thrashing dirt dragged Squall down and then when the wind blew it knocked Squall in random directions with gusts strong enough to push him over. If it had not been for the strong hand constantly pulling him, Squall would have fallen long ago.

It continued one for a few moments until one particularly strong, sand-filled gust slammed itself into Squall's unguarded face. The pieces of sand dug painfully into his eyes, causing the brunet to jerk his hand free and cover his face from attack. The storm was beginning to take its toll on Squall. He could hear the sand grating between his teeth; it was stinging in his eyes and filling his nose so much that he could feel the small grains sticking to the back of his throat. With every intake of air, the sand slipped into his lungs to burn into the soft tissue. Squall's body shook uncontrollably until he couldn't restrain the urge to cough—which he did and earned a mouthful after mouthful of sand. Collapsing to his knees, the brunet covered his mouth with one hand while the other stretched out into the darkness—vainly reaching for Seifer's hand that was no longer there.

"Seifer," Squall choked. All he could hear was the howling wind. If only he had listened to the other and had taken off his shirt to use as a mask, none of this would have happened. Why couldn't Squall trust Seifer completely? _You said you'd never leave me.._

All of a sudden, the sand stopped pounding against Squall's body. The noise was still present, but it was muffled. The brunet attempted to open his sand-filled eyes, only to reveal a world blurred with burning tears. What little Squall could see, he did manage to make out a dark silhouette in front of him.

"Sei—" Squall erupted in coughs. The sand in his lungs seared more strongly than the grains irritating his eyes. He reached his hand out, hoping that Seifer would once again pull him back onto his feet.

"Well well well.. fancy meeting you out here in the middle of nowhere," spoke a smooth, male voice that definitely did _not_ belong to Seifer.

Squall rubbed at one of his eyes until he could see the stranger more clearly. The man wore a heavy desert shroud that covered all of his face except his eyes. The rest of his clothes were more form fitting, but it was hard to tell with Squall's blurred vision. What little he could notice about details was that the man dressed with the same color as the desert sand, which made him hard to pick out from the storm that currently raged around them. It was as if they were in some kind of air bubble where the sand could not touch them. Was it some sort of magical spell? Squall couldn't tell—he needed to have Griever in order to sense magic, but Seifer had the pendant.

"Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would ever find you," the stranger spoke with a sense of amusement playing in each word. Squall felt something wooden touch against his chin, forcing his head to tilt upward towards the covered face of the stranger. The man leaned in closer, allowing cobalt eyes to glare warningly into a pair of calm, pale violet eyes. "It's unmistakable, you look just like him.. besides that scar."

If it weren't for the sand clogging his senses, Squall might have said something. Instead he pulled his head away from the other. The wooden object was then pressed against Squall's throat. This time he could felt metal built in with the wood. A quick, hazy glance down and a judge of shape told Squall that the stranger was pointing a crossbow at one of his most vulnerable spots.

"Now don't get all huffy because I caught you. That's your own fault," the man teased before pulling the crossbow away.

Squall shut his eyes. He was sick of staring at a world that he couldn't make visual sense of. At the moment he didn't want to believe what was happening to him anyway. _We came so far.. why now?_

"You just stay put," the cloaked man began to back away. Squall could feel the sand began to rain down on him, as it seemed the protective, invisible sphere moved with the stranger.

_No! Wait, don't go—_Squall crawled forward to try and stay inside the clear air. It was too late. The sand was once again attacking all his sense at once. Squall coughed, in-taking more sand than he was expelling. He couldn't breath—he couldn't move either. The sand had buried his feet, making it too much of a strain on his nerves to pull them free. What was the point anymore? He was caught—it was time to give up.

_Seifer.._

Squall fell face down into the sand. The storm raged around him, but there was a sense of tranquility with his face half submerged in the ground. Slowly the wind began to bury the brunet. The world grew more dark and silent than it was before. Squall could barely draw in a breath due to the sand searing the inside of his lungs. There was no point in trying anyway..

_..where are you.._

The sandstorm continued, but that part of the world had disappeared. There was nothing but darkness. It was all numb and distant. To Squall there was no storm, only the end.

_..I don't want to be alone.._

.. ..

_..don't leave me.._

**End Chapter.**

_I love you my reviewers. I'm so glad you stuck with me. I would have updated sooner, but my computer went ka-put. Then when I tried to update, document manager was down, or something. Anyway. I have another chapter finished, and it will be added in a few days :3_

**[1] **Yes. Seifer is swearing here. I'm sure they didn't have such words back then, but.. I didn't want to try and replace it.


	3. Prince of Thieves

**Sea of Ice**

**Chapter 3: Prince of Thieves**

**Squall:**

_Nothing lasts in this world. Someday you're bound to lose everything. Everyone around you will be gone. Then what are you left with?_

The world was dark. It had been that way ever since the sand had buried Squall alive. Was he even alive? Or had the early grave crushed what little of a life he had left? He had to be somewhere between the lines of life in death in order to be angsting. Right?

_You are left with nothing, nobody.. It's so miserable, and yet it's inevitable._

Squall had left everything once in the past and had adopted a new life of misery. Someone had then given him freedom, hope and a chance at real happiness—but it had all been a wasted effort. Everything was bound to fail. Squall had known this but still he had trusted Seifer.

_Why do people depend on each other? In the end, you are on your own._

It was all one big mistake. What had Squall been hoping to achieve by putting his faith in a man that knew nothing of a world beyond the walls of luxury? Seifer had been nothing but a reckless fool. Yet, the blonde had been the only anchor Squall had at the time—and now he was gone, just like everything else.

_Why did you leave me? I thought you actually liked me for who I am.. not for something else. I shouldn't have trusted you.._

"Seifer.." Squall's voice cracked. His senses came flooding back to him all at once causing him to groan in pain of sensory overload. He rolled onto his back, sharply aware of the soft pillow resting under his head and the thin blanket covering his body from the shoulders down. His eyes cracked open, allowing rays of sunlight to breath color into his light gray eyes that looked dead. Squall could make out the flat ceiling and white, barren walls around him.

_So.. I am alive._

Squall weakly dragged his arm over his eyes to block out the light that was painfully bright. He felt drained of energy and also uncomfortably hot. There was sweat beaded across his forehead that made his brown strands of hair stick to the sides of his face. It was annoying, but not as noticeable as the dry, rough feeling inside of his mouth. Squall badly longed the taste of water._ What's the point? I'm supposed to be dead. I –want- to be dead._

Despite the dark thought, Squall's hands pushed away at the blanket covering his body. He rolled back onto his side and pulled himself off the edge of the bed he was resting upon. His body fell heavily, lifelessly against the wooden boards that made up the floor.

_Why am I trying.._

Hazily Squall's eyes roamed the small, empty room until he picked out the shape of a door. He pushed himself onto his hands and knees then he began to crawl towards the exit. Once reaching the wall, Squall pulled himself up and clawed at where a handle should have been. His fingers raked down the straight wood, then dug into the cracks at the edges in an attempt to pry the door open. The wood didn't budge.

_I really.. don't want to be alone anymore. Was it so wrong to try and let someone into my life?_

Squall slid down the wall and slumped on the floor. He had little to no energy, and now he could barely move after expending it. It was no use. For some reason he was trapped in some kind of prison cell. Someone had saved him from the storm—for what reason? Save him then stuff him into a cage? What was the point?

"I'm thirsty.." Squall disputed weakly then began to laugh bitterly as he slid down sideways onto the floor. He wrapped both arms around his head as the spiteful laughter turned into uncontrollable sobs. He was so lost now. He had nothing, no one. Why were the God's making him suffer? How could they let him live when they had already taken everything away?

Squall bit down on his lip as his cries went silent. The tears still fell from his close eyes. He could feel them running down his cheek, mocking his thirst for water. Emotions were such a pain and a weakness. For so long Squall had suppressed his feelings, for so long he pretended that he didn't care. Now all of it was coming back to him, causing his body to shake against the floor as if shivering. It was too much to hold back any more—but it made him so weak and vulnerable. Squall hated it.

Vibrations from the floor told Squall someone was approaching. He didn't bother trying to sit up. He merely listened as something creaked from elsewhere in the room—the door he was laying next to was not the object to open. It confused Squall slightly, but he didn't care too much. The light footsteps crossed over the floorboards and circled Squall's half-prone position.

"I thought I heard something moving around," a friendly voice quietly chuckled. Squall didn't move, which earned him a gentle nudge in the side from the stranger's foot. "Eh? You alive there?"

If Squall had the energy, he might have rolled his eyes at the pointless question. Instead he let out a heavy breath that ended up sounding like a mixture between a sigh and a low sob.

"What?" The stranger sat down on the floor in front of Squall. He pulled on of the brunet's arms to reveal his face. "Did you fall out of bed? That's one heck of a long fall if you are clear over here."

_Shut up_, Squall allowed his eyes to open and slit dangerously up at the man that was holding his arm. Soft violet eyes framed by auburn bangs stared down at him in mild amusement. The man's hair was long and drawn back in a tight ponytail to keep it out of his face. He wore a simple white long sleeved shirt and brown pants. He appeared harmless, but Squall saw the hilt of a dagger at the man's waist. But what caught Squall's attention the most was the unusual colored eyes—he recognized them to be the pair he had met out in the desert. So, that man was the one to save Squall's life. Somehow 'thanks' didn't see to be the appropriate phrase. 'Go to hell' was more fitting.

"Whoa, no need to shoot that icy glare at me," The man smiled with complete solace. It bothered Squall to a degree that the stranger could be so content when he himself was absolutely miserable.

"Now, upsy-daisy," The violet eyed man pulled Squall's arm over his shoulders and hauled the brunet onto his feet.

An arm was wrapped around Squall's waist to keep him steady. The brunet was too drained to prevent the man from tugging him around. The situation did evoke a particularly strong memory. Squall had been in that position before—when he had been escaping from Zamir's dungeon and going into the fiery desert with, "Seifer.."

"Hm?" The man paused before the bed. He pushed Squall into a sitting position on the edge. Two hands were planted on either side of Squall as the stranger doubled to stare evenly eye-to-eye. Their noses nearly brushed. "Seifer? Actually my name is Irvine. Irvine Kinneas to be formal. I am known as the Prince of Thieves in this area."

There was a brief pause in words. The stranger's name didn't sound familiar—and it seemed the man was waiting for Squall to exchange formalities. Tough luck. All Squall could hear in his head was what Seifer might have said in that same situation: Prince? Then who is the king?

"Well, there really is no need for you to introduce yourself," Irvine smiled and reached up to rub his thumb over Squall's cheek to wipe away a tear trail. Squall responded by jerking away and fixing his glare on the other man's eyes—the purple the flickered with a hint of venom. "I know who you are. Those eyes, that hair, your face, the pale skin. You are a spitting image of your father if you'd just smile, or so they say. What do you think of that, Squall Lo—"

"—Shut up," Squall growled while turning his face away. Irvine was making him extremely uncomfortable. The brunet tried to back away from the bandit, but it wasn't possible when his legs were trapped against the bed and the longhaired man had both arms barricading the sides. Squall just didn't have the energy to push him aside.

"You are quite the character, Squall. Never did I imagine I would find you," Irvine's voice had lost its deceiving friendly tone. It had been mere roguish charm in the beginning. Irvine leaned in closer, causing Squall to fall back onto his elbows to avoid physical contact. "Everyone thinks you're dead, except for that silly father and sister of yours. Did you know realize they are still offering a reward for you return?"

Squall's eyebrows drew together in confusion. _Ellone knew I was leaving—why would she let father put up a reward for my return? I had to leave.._

"I guess you didn't know that, but what everyone else doesn't know is that it is not your family that is offering the reward, it's the council. It's also not for your safe return, it's the bounty price for your head," Irvine inclined his head to the side to study Squall's distant expression.

Emotions were closed off as Squall listened to the other. He didn't need to hear any more bad news. It was just another cruel twist of fate. In the west people wanted Squall dead, now it was the same in the east. What had he done to anger everyone? "So kill me and get it over with."

"No no, I won't do that for two reasons. First, I won't kill you because you seem to want that so badly. I'm a taker, not a giver." Irvine teased while cupping Squall's chin with his hand. He forced the brunet to look back up at him. "Second, I want to see the looks on those old geysers faces when I bring you back alive."

Squall glared to the best of his ability. He didn't like to be touched, or used for someone's needs. Yet, at the moment he was powerless to stop either of the two. Irvine slowly released Squall's chin and stood from the bed. His friendly aura had faded, leaving the bandit with more serious expression adorning his features. "It makes me curious. I always thought you were the smart one out of that family. But why would you get caught so close to home—why are you here?"

He was there because of Seifer. Of course, where was that arrogant blonde when Squall needed him the most? Why couldn't Seifer be there to become overly possessive and chase Irvine off? Where were the sardonic remarks and headstrong sense of pride when Squall needed someone to stand up for him?

"Seifer.." Squall pulled his legs up onto the bed and laid down on his side. His eyes flicked up to Irvine. Sure the one word answer didn't make any sense—but maybe, just maybe this bandit would be clever enough to figure out what Squall was secretly asking. The brunet really did want to voice the question, but he was afraid of the answer he might receive.

"That is the second time you said that. What does 'Seifer' mean?" Irvine inquired while arching an elegant eyebrow at the sulking brunet.

Sighing, Squall wrapped his arms around himself and closed his eyes. "He was with me in the desert.."

"There was no one else in that storm," Irvine's response came without doubt.

"No.." Squall hugged himself tightly. That had not been the answer he wanted to hear. "He was with me.."

"Well, not anymore." Irvine corrected with no trace of sympathy. He watched as Squall's shoulders began to shake.

"H-how could you find _me_ but not him?" Squall tried to keep his voice steady but failed miserably.

Irvine snorted and grabbed a small water flask from his side. He tossed it onto the bed next to Squall's head. "There was no one else there. You probably were in the sun too long and began to hallucinate this 'Seifer'."

Squall's finger reached out and gripped at the waterskin. Was it possible the bandit was right, and Squall had imagined the whole thing? All the time, the feelings, the people—how could it all have been a dream?

"You've been asleep for the past two days. You need water and some food," Irvine walked over to the bed. He stretched out his hand to rest his cool palm on Squall's forehead. It remained there a few seconds before Irvine decided to reach down for the edge of the brunet's shirt, which he tried to pull off until Squall knocked his hand away with a lethal glare. Irvine scowled at the gray ice piercing into his more kind violet orbs, "Why are you looking at me like that? You're burning up—you might as well lose the shirt and pants."

"He's real," Squall growled while pulling his shirt back down. He didn't need Irvine's phony advice, nor did he want to believe that Seifer was a hallucination. Squall ran his fingers over the scar slanting diagonally between his eyes to convince himself of the truth. Seifer had given him that mark in the past to 'break' the perfection that he had seen in the brunet. It was a violent act motivated by paranoia, and it centered around the fact that Seifer had attacked Squall in order to gain vengeance on Rinoa. Yes, Seifer had _used_ him, but it was different now. "He gave up everything for _me_."

"Hey, whatever, just drink the water and I'll bring something for you to eat later. Maybe that will bring back some sense into that pretty head of yours." Irvine raised both his hands in a calming gesture.

Reluctantly Squall opened the flask and drank. It nearly made him choke to feel the cold liquid wash over this inside of his hot, dry throat. All the while he kept his eyes on Irvine, he didn't trust the man, there was no reason to trust him. Then when Squall's stomach couldn't hold anymore, Squall closed the waterskin, "Why are you doing this—keeping me alive. You get paid either way. Why waste your time?"

"Were you not listening to me just a minute ago?" Irvine snatched the water out of the brunet's loose grip. He lightly tapped the top of Squall's head with the flask. "You don't understand. It's not very easy to carry a dead body into town. I'd rather have you walk on your own. It makes it much easier on me."

_I'm so sick of being toyed with_. Squall rolled over so his back was facing the thief. _No matter were I go people are always trying to use me to their advantage. They are only kind to me when it benefits them. I hate them._

Footsteps crossed the room and paused at the far wall, "If you were indeed with someone out there in that storm, than that person is dead. No one survives a storm like that."

The door closed and Squall was alone with his brooding thoughts once more. He stared blankly at the wall as he listened to the water churning painfully in his stomach. There was something odd about Irvine; something secretive—Squall could sense it every so faintly. Not like it mattered, all Squall could think about were the words burning in his mind. Seifer was dead.

**End Chapter.**

_I know. I always end up leaving my chapters on some sort of "What? Huh?" questions hanging in the air. Stay with me people. Sea of Fire and Ice are soon going to clash as everything falls into place and the real fun begins. I can't wait to show you my more villainous streak :)_


	4. Marr

**Sea of Ice**

**Chapter Four: Marr**

How had this all happened?

_Water_..

Cobblestone houses passed by along with dozen of blank stares. Sandaled feet dragged over the hard-packed dirt that made up the street. Each step could be clearly heard as all the other commotion fell silent. Seifer was indeed not dead, although he moved down the street like a zombie. The people of the unfamiliar city stepped aside and gawked openly at Seifer's dirt covered body. He was half-naked due to the fact he had lost his shirt in the sand storm and had been out in the desert for days without a bath did not help his appearance. The shirt was not the only thing the violent winds had stolen from him.

_Squall.. water.. water_

Seifer's mind drifted in and out of reality as an invisible force led him through the twists and turns of the foreign city. His energy had left him long ago, but some sort of mysterious power kept Seifer on his feet. Something was telling him to keep moving—that the goal was so close now. 'It' promised the blonde that he would find what he sought most soon.

_Water.. Squall.._

Seifer's fingers lifted and curled around the metal pendant swinging freely from his neck. The piece of jewelry was the only clean part of him. The sandstorm had painted the rest of his body in a strange light brown color. That was probably the reason why the people were staring at him—not that the renegade prince cared, or even bothered to notice. All he saw was the day after the storm. Somehow he had lost Squall. He spent day and night searching for the brunet but had found nothing but despair. After that day he did not move by his own free will. Something had possessed his limbs and had pressed him to walk a full day and night until Seifer had come upon a strange city located at the base of the Estarian cliffs. It was twice the size of Zamir, and everywhere the blonde caught blurred glimpses of plants he had never seen, or he saw strange metal objects that he would have loved to toy with if it had been any other occasion.

But there was only one thing on Seifer's mind as he rounded the corner and his jade eyes fell upon a low circular pool with a stone lion statue posed in the middle. Ribbon-like streams of water rose in arches from the felines paws and fell musically into the crystalline water below. It caused Seifer's dry mouth to hang open in a deep longing for the tasteless liquid. It had to be the most beautiful thing Seifer had ever seen.

_Water!_

With feet dragging heavily, nearly tripping over one another, Seifer staggered up to the fountain. He fell to his knees at the stony edge, completely ignorant of the way his knees nearly cracked against the hard ground. The pain meant nothing next to the feeling of Seifer plunging his head into the water. The dirt from his face and hands tinted the water, but Seifer could care less as he swallowed mouthful after mouthful of cold water. When at last he was forced to surface for air, the blonde laid the side of his head on the fountain's edge and let his eyes drift to a close.

Was this what the strange force thought Seifer sought most? There was no longer a pulling sensation in his limbs, which meant Seifer must have reached his goal. Sure water was something he badly desired at the time, but after drinking more than his fair share, Seifer no longer wanted it. Surely the mysterious energy didn't drag him all the way to the fountain for a mere drink.

The fountain's water stopped sparkling as a pair of shadows loomed over Seifer, like a dark cloud blocking out the sun. Seifer used his last ounce of energy to pick his head up and peer up at the two. The edges of his vision were fading to black but he managed to make out the pair of hands that reached towards him. That was the last thing Seifer saw before he blacked out from exhaustion.

****

**Squall:**

"Wake up."

Blue gray eyes reluctantly opened when Squall registered the feeling of someone pinching his left check. Groggily he waved his arm about until he found the hand that had switched to pull at his hair instead. "_Ngh_—stop."

Amethyst eyes smiled down from above, "Good evening to you too, handsome devil."

Growling, Squall turned aside only to realize that the bandit Irvine was nearly sitting on top of him. In short, the rogue had him pinned against the bed with a bemused smile on his lips that annoyed the hell out of Squall. "What do you want!?"

"My my," Irvine tsked while tilting his head cat-like at the brunet. "You've certainly gotten your energy back. I only wanted to wake the sleeping princess with a kiss."

Irvine leaned forward. Squall threw up his arms to guard his face from the flirtatious thief. Irvine merely started laughing and climbed off the bed, "You take everything so seriously. It makes it so easy to make you fluster."

"Go to hell," Squall spat and turned his back on the other.

"According to the way everyone portrays the Gods, I'm already destined to go to hell. Although, I'm still waiting for this _Cerberus_ to show up on my doorstep and eat me alive," Irvine cooed then crawled back onto the bed in order to lean over and see Squall's face. He lightly poked at the brunet's red cheeks. "Aw, do my witty remarks make you angry, or are you blushing because I was going to kiss you?"

"I do believe it is because _someone_ was pinching my cheeks in order to wake me up for a reason I have yet to know," Squall tensed and glared at the far wall. Irvine was such a strange character.

"Fair enough," Irvine backed off and stood at the foot of the bed. He crossed his arms in front of his narrow chest and took a moment to silently analyze the brunet before him. "I'm taking you into the city tonight. It would be too dangerous during the day. Right now my little band of misfits are throwing a .. 'going away' party for you."

Squall lifted his head just enough to watch a grin form on Irvine's lips. The tall thief did have a strange charm to him, but it didn't detour Squall from picking out the lies and the twists on words. A narrow of the brunet's eyes was all it took for Irvine to grab the edges of the blanket and to pull it off the bed.

"Get up. You are going to make me miss the golden hour," Irvine's violet eyes sparkled for a moment with the words; more particularly with the word 'gold'.

Squall curled in on himself and ignored the bandit. It was no use. Irvine came around to the side and pulled the brunet's arms up and hauled him into a standing position. Squall glared, but found that he still was too exhausted to fight against the treatment. He tried to sit back down on the bed, but something tugged at his wrist besides Irvine's hands. Gray orbs blinked down at the leather straps circling tightly around his wrists. They then snapped back up to glare disbelieving at the smirking rogue. Irvine must have put them on when coaxing Squall to stand—the sneaky bastard.

"Don't look so surprised. Did you think I expect you to walk alongside me without some sort of leash to keep you from running off?" Irvine stressed his question by tugging on the brown strap that was connected to the leather cuffs.

Could things get any worse?

Squall sighed and stood to his feet. Immediately the small room around him spun in circles and he stumbled off to the side until his shoulder bumped into the nearby wall. His wrists began to levitate into the air as Irvine walked away, keeping a firm grip on the 'leash'. Against his will, Squall was forced to follow the bandit over to the far wall—not the knobless door. Irvine then pushed aside a worn brown drape and pushed on the once-concealed wall. Much to Squall's surprise the wall moved backwards to reveal a dark hallway—which Irvine quickly ducked in through the narrow entrance. The brunet hesitated entering the unknown but he had no choice when his arms jerked forward thus dragging him along.

Squall was led through the crawlspace between rooms. Even in his tired state he admired the crafty nature of the house. He would have never found his way out of the room if no one had come to fetch him. Through the darkness Irvine moved leaving Squall to blindly follow—only to slam into the taller when the bandit came to a sudden halt.

"Now," Irvine cracked open a new door so only a thin stream of pale light sneaked into the narrow hallway. The bandit prince was peaking into the other room but whispering quietly to Squall. "I suggest you stay where I leave you, or remain with the people I trust you to. Some of these brutes are not of my group."

"Whatever," Squall rolled his eyes while wondering why Irvine was even bothering to explain anything. It didn't matter. The thing Squall understood most was that he was being treated like a dog. _Sit. Stay. Gods.. I even have the leash to prove it. Seifer would have never done this to me.._

A frown graced the brunet's face as he recalled the news he was given the previous night. Seifer was dead. The memory ate a hole in his chest at once—making it difficult to breath. Pale purple eyes fixated upon Squall when Irvine picked up on the change of breathing pattern.

"Hey, don't worry. I'll keep an eye on you at all times. Everything will—"

"Shut up," Squall snapped in a hoarse whisper. Tears threatened to spill but the brunet managed to fight them back. He wouldn't cry again over the stubborn blonde—and also he was never going to listen to someone tell him it would 'all be okay'. He had fallen for that once and just look at where it had got him. "Of course everything is going to be all right for _you_, but not for me."

"Look at it this way," Irvine closed the door, nearly slamming it as his usually friendly tone faded into a growl. Squall nervously pulled at the leather that was binding his two wrists together. He couldn't see, or hear Irvine moving, but he could feel the air shift as the bandit became one with the darkness. The man certainly knew how to move more quietly than a whisper. When Irvine finally did speak, it came from somewhere behind Squall, "The money I will receive from your return shall help the people that your family and high council have neglected. Those that are sick will finally be able to buy medicine. The starving children will no longer have to steal from the market—only to be caught and have one of their fingers cut off. Are you so selfish to not see that out of your misfortune comes good? Should I set you free and crush the hope I gave to those people? I bet you never stopped to think about those that are less fortunate than you."

Silence was Squall's best response. If possible he felt worse. Irvine sure knew how to pull at someone's strings—such as the leather that jerked Squall forward to bump into the clever thief that seemed to have been standing in front of him the entire time. How did the man do such magic-like stunts? It was the same as the time in the desert when they had first crossed paths. Back then Irvine had immunity from the storm in the form of some wind sphere. Now the rogue could somehow manipulate the air to throw his voice to different parts of the room. It _had_ to be magic, there was no other explanation.

"Good boy," Irvine purred at the other's silence, obviously pleased that his words had worked. He then pushed open the door (a normal one this time) and tugged the unhappy brunet along like a shy pet.

The first thing Squall noticed was the chattering voices. The words floated thought the air in a light musical rhythm, but he couldn't seem to be able to make out what people were saying. When he tried to focus and listen, it became nothing more than muffled noise. Somehow Squall assumed that was the way it was suppose to be. Thieves had their own special way of talking to one another. That way they could work together and if an outsider tried to eavesdrop, they wouldn't be able to comprehend what was being discussed.

Squall was slowly led through the sparse crowd. He could feel eyes on him, but he never found who was looking at him. On the inside he could hear them laughing at the soft shackles around his wrists. Blue-gray eyes stared down at the floor with a distant expression glazing over his eyes. So much had happened in the past week. He didn't know what to think anymore.

"So, this is him?" A female voice spoke in a way that was meant to reach Squall's ears. Curious, the brunet raised his dead gaze to look at the woman. She was about his height but with shorter brown hair, amber eyes and a lean, athletic build. Knowingly she smiled at him before shifting her attention to the taller thief. "This is your solution to our problems—a pretty boy to sell?"

"You'll be amazed at the price he is going for," Irvine winked while casually slipping an arm around the girl's slender waist. "Maybe I will buy you dinner with the reward money, hm?"

The woman innocently smiled while touching a finger to the side of her face in a mock gesture of thought, "Hm, another night of wine on top of the blacksmith's roof? Sorry Irvy, I'm not so cheaply flattered."

Squall had to smirk at the smooth rejection that was given. Irvine gave a lopsided grin before removing his arm from around the girl. "That's too bad, because I am going to be able to buy a heckuva lot of wine then a few houses, some chocobos, maybe a few dozen new daggers to start a collection. After all that I could always just toss the rest of the money up and down the streets just to watch amateur thieves, such as yourself, run around like chickens at feeding time."

"Is that so?" Her question mimicked the way she rolled her eyes at the subtle insult. "I might just have to take you up on that previous offer. In the man time, I think I should take your pet for a walk. He looks to be _drying_ for a bit of fresh air."

Her fingers twined with the leather strap as she smiled up at Irvine—who responded by laughing then quickly pulling the girl close to plant a kiss on her cheek. "Cute, but that sort of trick doesn't work on me."

Irvine released the girl. Squall didn't miss the dangerous exchange of glances between the two that spoke of something beyond his understanding. However, the tall man didn't give the brunet a chance to ponder on the thought because he pulled Squall into a far corner.

Glaring, Squall leaned against a wall as Irvine took a seat at a table and began talking to some man across from him. The brunet was quickly becoming annoyed at being treated like a dog. But what could he do besides go where the leash pulled him? It was worse than how Seifer had treated him like a slave.

_Damnit_. Squall bitterly cursed at himself and fixed his stare on his bare feet. The sight of his toes blurred together as the brunet felt his eyes burn with repressed tears. Why was he constantly finding himself comparing Irvine to Seifer? It just beat him down more to be reminded about how much he has lost in the sandstorm. He never really understood how much better it was to be with Seifer—not until the arrogant blonde was gone. Now all Squall could do was regret at everything he had forsaken.

But what made Seifer so special?

Squall's eyes roamed over the floor as even his mind went silent. He remained in a quiet daze even as his wrists were pulled at, forcing his feet to move in order to following Irvine through the room. Squall didn't hear the voices anymore, or feel the stares. He was lost in depths of his mind in order to find the truth. The only reason he could truly agree with was that Seifer was the only person that really liked him for who he was. Sure there was Squall's father and sister that cared for them, but they were family. Selphie and Zell liked him, but only as friends do. Seifer had been the only one to never really know who Squall was, but had admitted to having feelings for him anyway. He had thrown away everything for Squall. No one had ever done that for him. In the past, people only pretended to like, even love Squall only to get some sort of reward in return. Status. Money. Jewelry. They never cared about him or his feelings.

But.. Seifer had been a prince. The man had _everything_. Yet he chose Squall, a mere slave that had nothing to offer. After all their quarrels, and exchange of harsh words where Squall tried to make Seifer lose interest—Seifer had never given up on him. How could Squall not feel some sort of affection for the stubborn ex-prince?

It was probably for the better that the Gods had taken Seifer away. If the blonde found out who he really was, then there was no way he could look at the brunet the same way ever again—Squall knew that in his heart. That was why Squall couldn't open up to the blonde; he was scared of losing the only one that truly liked him for who he was. There lied the difference between Irvine and Seifer. The bandit prince knew exactly who Squall was where as Seifer had not. What was in a name anyway?

Cobalt eyes lifted to Irvine walking steadily ahead of him. There obviously was a vast amount of gil in Squall's name for the tall thief. A gust of cool wind ran through Squall's hair, alerting the brunet that they were now outside—Irvine must have led him out while he was mentally lost.

They were walking through the back alleys of the city of Marr. Squall recognized the cobblestone houses that lined the sides of the narrow passage. The stones were glazed with blue tinted moonbeams that drifted down from the spacing between the flat roofs. It was nightfall, and everything was silent, except for Squall's heavy footfalls. Irvine was being quieter than a church mouse—but that was a professional quirk. Squall never really noticed how graceful the tall man was until he watched him weave his way around the various obstacles—ones that Squall managed to stub his toe on once or twice before the rogue whirled on him.

"Why can't you be more like your mouth, and stay silent?" He hissed at the brunet along with a menacing amethyst glare.

Squall adverted his eyes in annoyance. Maybe if he _cared_ he would have tried—but he was too tired, abused and depressed to even respond to the pain throbbing in his toe.

An amused snort sounded, contrasting with Irvine's previous anger. "You just insist on making things difficult on me. I didn't want to have to open my bag of tricks, but you leave me no choice."

Grudgingly, Squall let his gray eyes glance back to Irvine in question. The rogue smiled while backing away towards one of the nearby walls. The leather leash pulled Squall along. The wind began to stir around them in cool, gentle wisps. Then, Squall couldn't help but stare wide eyed as the rogue began to scale up the flat wall without so much as a rope to aid him. It was like the wind had boosted him all the way up. Soon Irvine was on the roof, looking down at Squall who had his hands raised in the air due to the tether between them being a bit on the short side.

"Come now, don't be shy." Irvine sat down on the edge of the roof with one leg dangling off the side. His grin spoke all too well of the laughter he was suppressing at the sight of Squall stranded on the ground.

"How—what—there is no way I can do that," Squall shook his head while glancing between the wall and Irvine multiple times.

"I'm not going to pull you up. So start climbing," Irvine tugged a few times at the leather cord, still grinning wildly.

Squall glared, then frowned at being teased. It was just another painful stab at his heart. Seifer had always made jests at him much like Irvine was doing. The brunet leaned up against the wall as he completely spaced out for the second time that night. Again he just wanted to cry, but he wouldn't because he didn't want others (or himself) to pity him. He should just move on with the life the Gods forgot to take away from him.

He should just move—much like how he was now sliding up the wall. Squall jerked, then froze as he watched the stones slowly pass by as his body rose in the air. Wind danced over his skin as an invisible blanket. He could feel it pushing at the soles of his feet in order to lift him level with the roof. Squall stepped onto the flat top while catching the faint glow coming from Irvine's hand. The brunet snapped out of his daze and made a wild grab for the object that had obviously been the reason to why the man retained the title 'Prince of Thieves'. The thief proved to be quick on his feet as he stepped out of harm's way.

"I knew it had to be magic!" Squall accused with a venomous glare stabbing into the laughing eyes of the rogue.

Irvine held up his hand to show off the thin, curvy silver band—a representation of the invisible wind around them. It was vaguely familiar to Squall. "I guess you are the bright one in the family."

Squall's eyes couldn't be peeled off the enchanted item. He dared a few steps closer, causing his memory to clear with each small step. "When did you get that.."

"Oh, _years_ ago," Irvine drawled with a wave of his hand. He turned and began walk away but stopped when a tug on the leash did not bring Squall along.

Childhood memories burned in Squall's eyes. His muscles slowly tensed, mainly his jaw clenched tightly as anger stormed through his eyes. "You stole that—"

"Naturally."

"—From my.. from.. " Squall bit down on his lower lip. He couldn't bring himself to say what his memories had shown him. It felt like he would seal his already inevitable fate.

"From your sister," Irvine supplied the answer while tilting his head at the vehement brunet. "I use to work in the palace when I was younger. Of course you never noticed me—but when I was cleaning one of the rooms how could I not resist slipping this little charm into my pocket?"

Squall shook his head, trying not to listen to the thief. Irvine continued regardless, "My original intention was to sell it to some peddler, but.. I just couldn't give it away. It was such a mysteriously little ring—and soon I figured out just what made it so special."

"Shut up!" Squall found himself shouting at the thief for not the first time that day. Angrily he jerked on the leather shackles, refusing to follow the man. "You don't realize what would happen if that fell into the wrong hands!"

"If?" Irvine quipped with an arch of an eyebrow while keeping a tight grip on the cord, "Meaning when the ring is in my hands, it is in the right place."

Squall curled his fingers around the leather tether and pulled, trying to free himself from Irvine. "You stupid—"

"Spare me the childish insults. At least I am not as stupid as your father," Irvine skillfully changed the subject.

Squall lowered his arms, subconsciously giving up the small battle he had been fighting a moment before. Irvine started walking across the rooftop with the brunet quietly in tow. "What do you mean by that?"

"Do you really have to ask?" Irvine hopped over the narrow spacing between two different houses—landing perfectly, quietly on the neighboring roof. "You father thinks that everyone around him is full of good intent. Hired assassins would have killed him so many different times if it had not been for those two advisors at his side."

Squall eyed the small gap that he had to clear. Nervously he stood at the edge before jumping across—but without his arms to steady his landing he fell over onto his side at Irvine's feet. Curiously he inspected the thief's footwear. Fur lined the bottom edges of the boots, a design meant to muffle the sound of footsteps. Squall rolled over onto his knees and stood while ignoring the bemused glimmer in the rogue's purple eyes. "Who were the assassins hired by?"

"Again, you really don't know the answer to these questions?" Irvine snorted before leading the way once more. "I thought it would be obvious to anyone that it is that greed-obsessed council that wants him dead."

Squall frowned as he took in the news. His eyes drifted past the tall thief to gaze upon the large building they were moving closer to. It was built into the side of the Estharian cliffs. The whites stones used to shape its delicate architecture radiated a pale blue color under the moonlight creating a tranquil sight. Ahead of it was a large orchid of trees that surrounded the grand building like a dark sea. Their leaves were such a dark shade of green that they looked black during the night, colliding yet fitting perfectly with the blue palace.

They were close enough to even hear the wind rustling the leaves and soon they slipped off the rooftops to sneak underneath the rustling black sea above. Squall knew this place so well, even in the dark. His feet found where every flagstone was place to connect a path alongside a slow moving stream. Metal poles were situated every few feet, and from the tops hung oil lamps that burned softly to bathe them in warm light. Absently Squall could note which trees were the best to climb, and which were the best to hide him. He knew every inch of the land so well. And why wouldn't he? It was his home.

The trees thinned as Irvine and Squall came upon a small staircase that would lead into the palace. Torches burned against the side of the stonewalls, silhouetting the stationed guards at the large arched entrance. Squall grew nervous as they gradually ascended under the watchful eyes of the nightmen. He shelled himself away mentally as Irvine led him down the large hallway with colorful banners decorating every inch of the otherwise dull stone.

Down the hall they went. The sound of only one pair of footsteps echoed about the otherwise empty passage. The dead end came into sight, along with the shape of a figure leaning up against the wall while dressed in dark marron robes that were trimmed with gold. Squall easily recognized the dark skin, and long braided hair of the foreign man that was his father's friend, and also respected advisor. Squall moved his stare to the marble floor beneath his feet as Irvine stopped a few feet away from the other.

"Kinneas I presume," The elegant man rose from the wall and walked over to the pair with his hand folded behind his back. He slowly came up to stand next to Squall, so close that the brunet could smell the scented oils in the man's black hair.

"I see you got my pigeon, Kiros," Irvine did a mock bow before throwing a possessive arm around Squall's shoulders. "I believe we need to discuss my reward."

"Reward?" Kiros coolly questioned while fixing his onyx eyes on the mischievous rogue. "I don't even know if this is truly him, and I will not pay upfront for an imposter."

"Imposter!" Irvine growled while pulling his arm away from Squall. He stood up to his full height to tower over Kiros. "He looks exactly like Laguna—how can you say he isn't the prince?"

"How can I trust a master thief?" Kiros' fingers gripped the leather shackles around Squall's wrists, which he quickly undid to free the brunet.

Irvine glared as he watched his control over the situation disappear, "I am an honest thief. I do my job like another man does his. Just give me the reward and I will be gone."

"_Honest_ thief?" Kiros chuckled at the title. "You silver-tongued ruffians are far from being honest, hard-working men."

Squall rubbed at his reddened wrists as a scowl slowly formed on his face. So this must have been what Irvine was speaking about when mentioning 'golden hour'--an arranged meeting at night to avoid public discussion about money. At the moment, Squall focused on his hatred of the way Kiros was treating Irvine. After living as a slave for so long, Squall's had picked up on the way the noble figures all but spat on the people who were of a lower class. "Just give him the stupid reward. You know it's me."

The brunet turned his back on the arguing pair that had only spared him but a glance at his outburst before resuming their debate. Squall moved through the dark hallways lined with oil lamps that lit his way. Not like he needed to be able to make out the fine stonework around him. He'd rather not be able to see anything at all. Home was not the place he wanted to be. Sure he missed his family, mainly his sister, but he did not miss the corruption of the city and the council. There had been a good reason for him leaving the palace walls to take on an existence bordering that of death.

Shaking his head, Squall refused to think about the past and current problems clashing upon his return to the palace. He began to jog until his feet brought him to a secluded section where he pushed through layers of silk to enter the familiar shape of his old room. What he wanted to do was throw himself onto his bed to try and smother himself with a pillow—but as soon as he had take a few steps he noticed the figure that sat up in alarm from the large windowsill.

Blue-gray eyes glared hatefully at the person invading his private quarters. Squall's breathing was erratic as he tried to resume control of his emotions. The angry storm in his eyes slowly faded as Squall saw the way the moonlight outlined the familiar body that should have been lined with gold instead of a blue mist of the calm night.

"Seifer..?"

**End Chapter.**

_Egads. I had to push myself through that chapter (that originally was going to be three different chapters) all because I want to write the next chapter. I hope some of those questions I've been carrying out through the whole 'Sea of Fire' story finally got answered. So, who can tell me what god's power is in the ring that Irvine wears?_

_I want to personally thank bluemoon for going through all of Sea of Fire to review every chapter. That was really nice. I just wanted people to at least review the last chapter to show they read SoF before they began to read the sequel. My secret goal was to reach 100 reviews—which bluemoon seemed to have figured out. Thanks blue!_

_And ah ah! Angry Angel began to comment on SoF as well. That really made me happy because I really love her stories. _

_I hate to single out certain reviewers. There are so many and I love every one for reading my story and commenting. All of you helped me to keep writing. Off the top of my head I can say that I have a few reviewers that have been great to stick with me all this way. Love Witch is my biggest fan. I swear! Isk is awesome too. Along with Canyon, Lego (PoD!), Rose, Kitan, Redrum--- I can't think of anymore off the top of my head._

_I love all of you. The next chapter will be worth the long wait. I sweeaaaar! Hopes_


	5. Sweet Moonlight

**Sea of Ice**

**Chapter Five: Sweet Moonlight**

**Seifer:**

The day had really been chaotic for Seifer. He remembered stumbling blindly into Marr early that morning. His feet had carried him to the city's center fountain where he recalled blacking out completely. When he came to his senses again, he woke to find himself lying in a small bed with a young woman dabbing a wet cloth against his forehead. The memory was still very clear to him.

_

* * *

--Seifer gazed wearily into the kind gray-blue eyes that looked down from above like a watchful angel. His caretaker blinked a few times, showing off the faded blue of questioning swirling in the familiar eyes. The blonde watched as the person brushed aside a strand of chocolate brown hair that had been obscuring their vision._

_"Squall?" Seifer whispered dryly while reaching up to touch his fingertips against the soft, fair skin of the other's cheek._

_"N-no," came the nervous response that echoed a trace of an unusual accent. The person turned their face away from the touch to hide the faint blush that had surfaced. The pale eyes briefly darted back to Seifer with a newfound curiosity clearly shown in the beautiful orbs. "That's my brother's name. How do you know him?"_

_Seifer silently stared as the dream-like haze lifted from his mind and he could make out the girl sitting beside him. Her physical traits were similar to Squalls, but her features held more feminine qualities. Now that he was fully awake, Seifer could see how he had made the mistake. Yet, he still couldn't get over the noticeable similarities between the two. It was as if the Gods had given him a replacement for the Squall they had taken from him. But what had she said—Squall was her brother?_

_The woman seemed to recover from her recent embarrassment because she had went to retrieve something off a nearby table. When she returned the object was placed carefully into Seifer's hand. The blonde patient managed to take his eyes off the captivating woman enough to focus his attention on the silver pendant of Griever lying flat in his palm._

_"The one who this belonged to, how do you know him?" The girl gently asked a second time._

_Seifer let his fingers curl around the lion cross as he thought over the question. He eased his legs off the edge of the bed and sat up with his back to the girl. "Where am I?"_

_"The palace of Marr city," She calmly replied while turning to face Seifer's side. Her ethereal eyes never left the blonde's face._

_"Marr.." Seifer repeated as he rested his face into his hands and propped his elbows against his knees. Images of maps drawn on canvas flashed behind his closed eyelids. "Isn't that the center of the eastern kingdom?"_

_The girl's nose wrinkled as if she didn't understand the blonde's words, "Marr is where our leader lives, if that is what you mean."_

_"Your leader—the pharaoh?" Seifer turned his head to the side and peeked through his fingers at the girl—who was trying hard to hide her amused smile. The blonde frowned at her in confusion, "What?"_

_"It's nothing," She shook her head to remove the smile from her lips. "You're just funny. We don't have a pharaoh, but I think I understand what you mean. Yes, our 'pharaoh' lives here—he's my father."_

_"And Squall is your brother, which makes him a prince.." Seifer pieced together the freely given information that had so long been kept a secret from him. He had repeated his realization aloud just for his own ears to hear. Jade eyes honed in on the silver necklace still resting in his palm. The bit of news was more than shocking. It was unreal._

_"Ah yes, we still use those terms, unfortunately," Her eyes followed Seifer's gaze. After a shared moment of silence, she circled back to her first question. "How do you know my brother?" _**--

* * *

**

And that was when it hit Seifer that he had made a grave mistake

**

* * *

--** _"I'm his servant." _**--

* * *

**

But what was he suppose to say?

**

* * *

--** _"How did you come in possession of his necklace?" _**--

* * *

**

He couldn't tell her the truth. It would cause too much chaos.

**

* * *

-- **_"I found it after I lost him in a sandstorm." _**--

* * *

**

All he could do was lie. Everything he had known about Squall had drastically changed. It's not like Squall had been dishonest. He had never really told the truth _or_ a lie. He never said anything at all. It's not like Seifer even deserved to know one thing about the mysterious brunet. Yet he couldn't help but feel hurt, betrayed—but he couldn't hold onto those thoughts either because Squall never returned his feelings in the first place. It was a one-sided relationship.

He had lied to the girl, whose name he later learned to be Ellone. He felt bad about it, but how could he explain to her that he was a prince of her rival country? That he had treated her beloved brother as a slave. Squall had been used, attacked, thrown in dungeons. Seifer had done all those things to the man, yet he wanted to be with the brunet more than anything else. But still he lied. He just couldn't place that image of Squall into Ellone's mind.

After they had talked, which mostly consisted of Seifer staring at the marble floor in a timeless daze, Ellone had given the blonde a set of white servant garments and a pair of silver wrist cuffs to signify his servitude. He was directed towards Squall's old room where he stayed for the remainder of the day. Until the night came. Seifer was now absently playing with the lion engraved cuffs as he stared at Squall who now stood in front of him. The blonde wasn't sure what he should feel towards the reunion. Should he be happy that the other is alive and well? Or should he be sad that he could no longer hope to develop a safe relationship with Squall?

Seifer merely stared blankly as Squall crossed the room, but stopped dead in his tracked before getting too close. "How did you get here?"

Jade eyes flashed with emotional pain as Seifer examined the distance between them. He then decided that the feeling he would respond with would be disappointment. "No '_how are you_' or '_glad to see you're alive'_?"

Squall frowned and turned away at the same moment Seifer sat back down on the window ledge. For a few uncomfortable moments of silence, the blonde stared out the window at the foreign landscape, but soon he couldn't stand ignoring the other's presence. "So.. this is why you didn't want to come east."

A few believable laughs were forced from the blonde's lungs as he attempted to ease the tension. Squall had turned his unreadable gaze back onto Seifer—probably amazed at how he was being sarcastic instead of spitting fire. A flicker of hope crossed through the blue-gray eyes before they settled back into a cold gray color. "Are you.. you're not.. with me.. because of.."

Seifer raised his gaze to the fidgeting brunet. The way the other stumbled over the words, yet managed to look completely in control was almost charming. Calmly, Seifer stood while maintaining the other's guarded gaze. He smirked before giving into the impulse to tease Squall. "I always figured something like this. You always were kind of stuck-up."

The taller didn't expect the next move to happen. Squall was suddenly in front of him—throwing his arms around the blonde's neck in a rushed hug. "I thought you would hate me.."

"No.." Seifer managed to reply since his mind had gone completely blank, and his body froze up when Squall had made the bold move. He slowly relaxed and wove his arms around the younger's waist. "Not at all, Squall, I could never hate you.. I'm just afraid of what going to happen now."

Was this really happening, or was it a dream? Could it be true that Squall was letting Seifer hug him; did he realize how much it meant to the blonde? Did Squall return his feelings—or did the hug mean something entirely different to the brunet?

"What do you mean?" Squall mumbled with his head resting against Seifer's chest.

"Well," Seifer nervously cleared his throat while detaching Squall from his around his neck so that he could look fully into the other's face—right into the other's eyes that he loved so much, especially when they stormed with dark shades of blue. "Now that I know you're not a slave, but a prince—it, well, it complicates things.."

"What things?" Squall innocently inquired. Could he be anymore clueless?

Seifer bit down on his lower lip as he contemplated on the consequences of the action he wanted to put into motion. He really didn't want to lose Squall so soon after getting him back. But he had to know; could he take things farther with Squall than just words? Did the brunet even _know_ the extent of how much Seifer liked him?

"These things," Hesitantly Seifer touched his fingers to under Squall's chin in order to tilt the brunet's face up towards his own. Quickly, before Squall could question, Seifer softly pressed his lips to Squall's. The chaste show of affection only lasted a second before Seifer pulled away—he was too nervous to hold it any longer.

Squall didn't move. His cobalt eyes locked onto the jade with a stunned look frozen in the gray color. Slowly his lips parted to speak, but no words came out—at least until Seifer decided to break the uneasy silence. "You're dirty.."

The brunet snapped back to character as he stepped away—a noticeable blush growing in color on his cheeks. "W-what?"

Seifer ran his tongue over his lower lip, removing the few bits of sand he had taken from the other's lips. Squall probably didn't realize that he was still coated with dirt from their encounter with the sandstorm. Quietly Seifer laughed at the blushing he could see plainly in the dark. It was a good sign, he mused. Squall had neither pushed him away nor glared. Perhaps there was a hope for them after all.

Attentively Seifer reached up to muss up the other's hair, sending up a small dust cloud with the action. "I mean you are covered in dirt—in dire need of a bath. Sand coated lips are not that pleasant to kiss."

"Oh," Squall robotically responded before abruptly turning to head for the door. He jerked to a stop just before reaching the silk curtains, he then came back into the room to gather the appropriate items he would need for a bath. He was in such a nervous rush that by the time he managed to stumble his way towards a basket of soaps, Seifer had already picked it up.

"I need those," came Squall's coy whisper as he pointed to the basket. Meanwhile he tried to keep his face turned aside to hide the blush that still clung to his cheeks.

"I know, that's why I am going to carry them for you," A familiar, stubborn smirk appeared on the blonde's lips.

"I can carry them myself," Squall mumbled quickly while stepped forward to grab the handle of the basket. Seifer didn't release, causing the brunet to frown in slight disappointment. "Let go."

Seifer shook his head while prying Squall's fingers off. He also took the towel from the other as he flashed a roguish smile at the doubtful brunet. "I'm your servant. I carry the stuff."

"What!—My servant?" Squall gaped while reluctantly surrendering his towel. It was certainly a change of roles.

"That's what everyone else here thinks I am," Seifer mused as he folded the towel over his forearm.

"Why do they think that?" the shorter hissed with a glare of suspicion closely following the question.

"Because that is what I told them," Seifer shrugged nonchalantly, like it wasn't a big deal.

"Why would you do something like that?" Squall growled, anger burning in his words.

"What was I suppose to say?" Seifer's patience finally snapped under the rapid-fire questions. "The only reason they brought me here is because I was wearing your necklace—they knew I had to have connections with you and they kept asking me how I knew you. Tell me, what I was suppose to do Squall!"

Seifer sudden outburst startled Squall, causing him to take another step away. Silence came easily to the brunet as he adverted his eyes away from the angry blonde who was breathing hard to try and control his rage. The effort was a waste when Squall didn't supply an answer. It riled Seifer's growing annoyance even further. "Was I supposed to tell them the truth? Oh yes, I'm a renegade prince from the western lands where Squall is a slave. I abused him, cut him, threw him into dungeons—but you know what? I really like him and gave up everything to try and give _him_ a better life. Oh, what's that? He's the prince of Marr? Gee, I hope this doesn't damage his reputation."

"All right!" Squall shouted to stop the other's rave. "I get your point."

"I don't think you do," Jade eyes narrowed. Yes, Squall understood why he lied to as why he knew Squall. But the hidden message was clearly missed. The brunet didn't realize how much Seifer had done to try and make him happy. The new situation complicated that. Since both of them were members of royal family, but of apposing countries, it made their 'secret' a lot more difficult to keep silent. No one would understand why the two were where they were now. If either of them let the information slip, it would be pure chaos.

"Whatever," Squall curled his arms around himself before turning his back to Seifer.

As the brunet walked out of the room, a darkly scowling Seifer followed close behind with basket and towel in hand. There was no shame or embarrassment in the servant-like behavior—Seifer had left such pride the day he threw away his family crested ring. He fussed over Squall in the desert, and he'd be damned if he would stop now. As he trailed after Squall through the halls, he simply mumbled incoherently to himself about 'ungrateful brats'.

They passed through an archway and stepped out into the open. Soft blue-green grass cushioned their feet as they walked down a path dotted with flagstones that created a trail leading through the mixture of large ferns and tall, leafy trees. Seifer gazed around at the foliage that he had never seen until that day. He was accustomed to the sight of sand dunes and sagebrush, this jungle-like atmosphere was something to admire. Through the gaps between branches Seifer could make out the gray walls of the palace, which meant they were somewhere in the middle of the building but with no roof to connect the area. The blonde mentally labeled the place to be a private garden—at least until he saw the mist-covered area up ahead. The plants ended and bordered the place in a perfect rectangular shape. Seifer could feel, and also smell the warm air that clouded over what he assumed to be a hot pool. He had never seen one before, but had been told of them—shallow stone pools with furnaces built underneath. Red coals were nursed in the large hollow cavities in order to heat the water above. The cloud of mist that floated just above the surface must have form due to the direct contrast of the heat vapor to the cool air of night.

Seifer watched as Squall approached the edge them spared a fleeting look over his shoulder. "Could you turn around..?"

The blonde snorted irritably before rolling his eyes. Squall apparently was too shy to strip when being watched. Reluctantly Seifer turned his back until he heard the other slipping into the pool. He then stepped up to the edge and sat with his legs crossed. The basket and towel were set aside as Seifer fixed his eyes on Squall. The hot water was too murky to see any details, but that didn't discourage the blonde from watching Squall disappear under the water to wash his face and hands. When he surfaced his dark hair clung to the sides of his face—that was absolutely beautiful in the most ethereal way possible when the soft moonlight bathed his skin with the faded blue colors of the tranquil night.

"Your home is really beautiful," Seifer tore his eyes off the rousing image of the other. As a distraction for his body, Seifer busied himself by folding Squall's discarded clothing.

The brunet waded closer to the edge where Seifer sat. The brunet sat down in the water on a built in seat that stretched all around the inside of the pool. He slouched so that the water rose past his shoulders. "..Thanks.."

"Why would you ever want to leave this place?" Seifer curiously inquired as he began to sift through the cleaning items inside the basket—anything that would distract him from the brunet who was within arm's reach. "Did you get lost in the desert one day—or kidnapped perhaps?"

"I ran away," Squall replied with a flat tone.

Seifer paused to shoot an odd look towards the head of black-like hair sitting in the pool off to his left. "Ran away, hmph. Care to explain why?"

Squall seemed to either think over the question at great length, or he had chosen to ignore it because there was a long stretch of silence before he spoke. "Nothing that concerns you."

"I'm getting tired of this," Seifer sighed with a slight narrow of his jade eyes. "You are always keeping things a secret. By now you should realize that I figure out the truth sooner or later."

"You wouldn't understand though," Squall argued while eyeing the other.

"Try me," Seifer shot the other a challenging smile when he dared to meet the other's eyes. Soon after he broke the gaze as he pulled out a small purple bottle from the basket and brought the container to his nose for a smell. It was an enticing scent of some foreign flower. Seifer decided he liked the smell and handed the bottle to Squall.

The brunet looked skeptically at the body wash before taking it. He shot a meaningful glare at the other—accepting the challenge. "I left to prevent war from breaking out between the lands."

Seifer blinked a few times, a blank look taking over his face. "Well.. okay, you win and lose at the same time. Yes, I don't understand what you mean, but that is only because you need to add a _little_ more detail to your story."

Squall huffed while moving out to the deeper part of the pool to wash himself with the scented soap. Seifer tried to watch, but the mist obscured his view. The fragrance that he had chosen for the other filled his nose—it was a delicious scent.

"When I was younger I use to follow my sister everywhere. She was a sorceress and she use to let me play with her enchanted rings and stuff. One day we were in the garden playing with the magic when a council member saw what we were doing..

"You can confirm this with your own experience, but a person doesn't have to be a sorcerer or a sorceress in order to use magic. All it takes is concentration and an enchanted item. Such is how you managed to cast cure when you wore my necklace..

"Anyway, this man figured this out and he tried to convince the others that they could train others—an entire army in the arts of magic. He then wanted to use that army to attack the other kingdoms, to expand our lands territories. The other members of the council needed proof that it could be done."

"So you were his proof," Seifer absently stated when Squall had gone silent once more. He watched as the brunet nodded mindfully as he returned to sit near the edge again. "But I don't see how that would work. There only must be a few of those sacred items in the world. He couldn't expect an entire army to share one ring."

"He wanted to use my sister to make more," Squall said while placing the soap bottle next to Seifer's leg.

"That's possible?" Seifer obediently took the container and placed it back into the basket.

"Ellone could do it, but the process takes a lot of energy. If he forced her to make an enchanted item for every solider, the mental strain would kill her. I couldn't let that happen so I left. Then the man couldn't prove his ideas. I guess they never pursued the idea because of the threat of me being out in the open. They probably feared that I would teach the other lands how to use the rings. So that if they ever tried to start a war with their magically armed army, they wouldn't have the advantage. That's more than likely the reason why they offered a bounty for my head.." Squall spoke his thoughts in a quiet tone. After he was through he glanced to Seifer, only to find the blonde softly smiling at him. He visible tensed, growing nervous under the jade gaze. "Why are you staring at me?"

"Maybe it's because of the surprise that you gave up everything because you cared about someone, and I was beginning to believe that you were the incarnation of the cold desert night." Seifer couldn't help but tease the other, if only to earn glare—anything to gain the desired eye contact of dark blue. "Or maybe I am mesmerized at how beautiful you are when bathed in moonlight.

Squall didn't have a response for a few seconds. The stunned pause was enough to spread a smile over Seifer's lips. Cobalt eyes finally adverted away far enough so that the blonde was no longer in Squall's line of sight. "Whatever."

Seifer let his tongue dart out over his lower lip, both in primitive desire and to collect the warm condensation. He couldn't just sit back and pretend to be blind to the beautiful being lounging inches away. Seifer might have felt depressed (A tad self piteous) when he had first been reunited with his former slave, but now he had completely pushed those thoughts and questions aside. All he wanted to do was be near the other—to enjoy the presence he had almost lost to the desert.

With these feelings as motivation, Seifer stepped into the hot pool—clothes and all. He drifted in front of Squall and rested a hand on either side of the brunet to prevent an escape. The other's blue-gray eyes were glaring at him, but they didn't completely mask the alarmed reaction beneath the icy exterior.

"What are you doing?" Squall demanded as he slumped further down so that the water rose past his shoulders. "I'm naked in here!"

"I know," Seifer smirked and leaned forward, only to have Squall retreat further into the water so it was up to his nose. The blonde laughed, amused at the other's reddening cheeks and wide-eyed expressions. "Com'on now, you didn't shy away when I kissed you in the room."

Squall's brows furrowed as he rose out of the water just enough to speak, "I didn't know you were going to do that and I wasn't _naked_ then."

"Are you saying that if you were dressed, I could kiss you?" Seifer's eyebrow rose. His expression was strangely calm where as Squall kept fidgeting to avoid physical contact.

"What? I don't know—"Squall pressed into the stone wall, drawing his knees up to his chest as protection.

Seifer reached for the folded shirt resting on the dry ledge, which he then pushed against Squall's chest that was still visible over the top of the knees. "Then get dressed and let's find out."

Squall snorted at the rude gesture and the fact that Seifer had grabbed the shirt instead of the shorts. He turned to get the shorts instead. That's when Seifer chose to act—his lips met the warm skin of Squall's neck. He ran his tongue lightly over the other's quickening pulse. Squall's taste was a mixture between the warm water, body heat and, oddly, flowers from the body wash—it gave the brunet a sweet taste inside of Seifer's mouth.

"..Seifer," Squall voice was distant, so close to Seifer's ear yet sounding so far away. He had tensed when Seifer had first begun—and he now managed to gently push on the other's shoulder.

Seifer inwardly sighed and pulled back at the other's persuasion. He expected to hear some sort of excuse from the brunet to leave—so he decided to apologize to try and mend things before they tore apart from Seifer's rash actions. "Sorry. I—"

Squall's lips were suddenly against Seifer's. They were light and unsure, taking Seifer completely by surprise. He let jade eyes close to enjoy the gentle sensation. Slowly their lips moved against each other—Squall's inexperienced and scared while Seifer's were showing extreme patience. The blonde was still amazed at the turn of events and didn't want to rush the moment. It might be the only chance he had to enjoy with the other—their secret was a terrible one.

Seifer ran his tongue over Squall's lower lip, causing the brunet to instinctively open his mouth as he tried to repeat the action. Tongues met as Seifer used a hand on Squall's cheek to tilt the other's head and deepen the kiss. Squall learned quickly and soon their kiss was escalating to a more passionate exchange.

Seifer could feel his body reaction, a growing hardness in his shorts and a strong desire to nurture that growth by venturing farther than a kiss. His hand slipped down the side of Squall's wet face and landed on one of Squall's up-bent knees. He slowly forced the brunet's leg down into a normal position. His fingertips then slowly trailed feather-light up the smooth skin on Squall's inner thigh.

Squall moaned, his voice low and rumbling against Seifer's lips. Then it all changed. Squall suddenly jerked away—breaking their kiss. He grabbed Seifer's wrist, preventing the blonde from advancing any further. "Don't."

Seifer's expression soured. He did _not_ like to be led on. He squeezed his grip on Squall's on thigh, letting the other know exactly where his hand was. Passionate jade orbs slitted towards the brunet's adverted gaze. "Why—what are you playing at?"

"Just stop," Squall hissed while shoving Seifer's hand off. "Someone will see us."

"It's the dead of night. No one is here but us," Seifer gritted his teeth while letting his hand be removed. Their sudden argument was strangling the lingering effects of the heated moment they had shared seconds before.

Squall ignored the blonde's comments and moved to retrieve his shorts, but Seifer snatched the brunet's arm before he could get too far.

"Let go," Squall commanded while attempted to jerk away, but failed.

"Don't try and order me around, Squall." Seifer twisted the other's arm down. Anger burned brightly in his eyes. "I may have told your family I am a servant to you, but we both know that is an obvious lie. Now _you_ stop, and tell me why you are toying with me."

"_Someone is coming_." Squall's cold expression wavered, letting desperation mixed with pain shine through. Only then did Seifer loosen his hold on the younger man.

He shouldn't have been upset, or hurt that Squall was giving off the impression that he was ashamed to be seen together. Seifer had repeatedly told himself that there could never be anything between Squall and him. He knew that the harder he tried, the harder he would hit the ground when he was pushed back. He didn't know why he put himself into the situation. It made him feel used—a fool for leaving his land and family. What was he doing all the way across the kingdoms? And most of all, what in Bahamut's name was he thinking when trying to court the local prince?

_Oh Bahamut, how far have you let me stray?_

In his moment of dilemma, Seifer was pushed away and Squall distanced himself by scooting down the stony seat. It tramped further on Seifer's feelings. "Why are you doing this to me?"

"Seifer _please_ be quiet." Squall sunk into the water so far that his head hid below the ledge, eyes turned far away from the blonde.

"Fine," Seifer stood, the water coming up to his waist. He waded towards the shore, but paused when he heard rustling from the trees.

"Squall?" a voice called from the shadows. Seifer remained rooted to the spot due to a possessive tensing taking over his muscles.

"Are you—whoa," A figure appeared, but it promptly crumpled to the ground a few feet away from the hot pool. Seifer relaxed—this person was not a threat. The blonde shifted his gaze to Squall and noted how the other had closed his eyes and pressed himself to the ledge as if afraid to be found.

"Squall, is that you?" a dark haired man walked towards the pool, his energetic yet pale eyes locking on Seifer. As he neared, his wide smile faded for a moment when he did not recognize the tall, arrogant-looking blonde. The second passed and the friendly smile was back onto the stranger's face. "Oh, hello. Who might you be?"

Seifer didn't respond at first. Jade eyes scanned the new man for any sigh of importance, because he wouldn't answer to just anyone without a good reason. The man had long, dark brown hair that fell a little past his shoulders. The way he smiled made his light blue eyes sparkle even in the dark of night. He didn't appear to be that tall, and the features were familiar.

"Oh, you're that boy that Ellone was talking about—the servant of Squall's?" He questioned. Seifer didn't want to respond, so he continued to give the stranger a blank look. It didn't damper the man's attitude one bit. "I was told that Squall had returned. I checked his room but he wasn't there. Do you know where he is?"

An even more familiar smirk rose on Seifer's lips at the question. So, Squall was hiding from this man? Well, no harm in leaving the two alone The blonde inclined his head towards Squall's direction, clearly communicating to the stranger where the brunet sat in the shadows.

"Squall?" The older man called, shifting his gaze to the same spot.

The younger shot an angry look at Seifer before lifting his head just high enough to look towards the stranger.

"Ah! There you are—Squall it's unbelievable that you are back—er, are you bathing—is this a bad time?" The man rushed through his rambles, causing Seifer to laugh and unknowingly switch the man's attention onto the blonde. "What's going on here. Am I.. interrupting.. something?"

"I fell in," Seifer quickly lied and pulled himself out of the pool—making sure to keep his back to the older man. "I accidentally knocked Squa—the _prince's _clothes into the water and failed to catch them in time, falling in myself. Excuse me, sir, I have to go change and fetch a new set of clothes.."

With that said, Seifer shot one last look at Squall—the brunet quickly looking away—and set off down the path, only to know he would wander the castle looking for Squall's room.

**Squall:**

Squall was trying very hard not to look at the way Seifer's white shirt was clinging to his body—the taunt, well defined muscles of his chest, abs, back, everywhere. The garment color did little to hide what beauty laid beneath. Squall couldn't get the image out of his mind—the way he almost had that hard body against his own; the way their lips touched and tongues intertwined; the way that Seifer's hand had gently caressed his skin as it moved closer and closer to Squall's growing desire.

_Oh god._

The brunet tightly shut his eyes to try and will the images away. He wanted nothing more than to have Seifer's hands back on him—exploring his body and sending waves of pleasure over his senses. But then Squall had heard someone calling his name and it took a great deal of will power to stop Seifer. Squall couldn't believe how worked up he was. Since when had he become so attracted to the other—to the man who was painted with the colors of the western desert—to strong arms, broad shoulders, chiseled abs, muscled legs..

_Curse you Seifer_. Squall lightly glared as he watched the blonde, renegade prince climb out of the pool. He was going to leave Squall alone with the stranger—his father.

Blue eyes tried to look away, but instead they trailed over the wet white shirt that clung like a second skin to the defined chest of the other. Then Squall's eyes settled on the slight bulge in Seifer's shorts—the clothing left little to the imagination. Squall blushed furiously and snapped his gaze away just as Seifer looked back at him. So it seemed that Squall was not the only one who had enjoyed their shared moment. It wasn't just a game that the blonde was playing.

Footsteps, wet and slapping against the stone notified Squall that Seifer was indeed leaving him. The brunet apprehensively glanced over the stony ledge at his father. The older man seemed to sense his son's stare and turned to face him. His bright blue eyes flicked back towards' Seifer's direction. "He's rather interesting. Where did you find him?"

"I don't remember.." Squall mumbled as he slouched further into the water so that half his face was covered. He was still aroused from earlier actions, and he silently praised the gods for the murky water that hid his body from the nose down. His father would kill him if he knew what had been going on.

"I'm glad you finally came home, Squall. Where have you been all these years?"

A few bubbles erupted on the water's surface, the cause being a irritated snort from Squall.

**Seifer:**

Seifer fumed as he wandered the halls, lost and confused in more ways than one. A puddle trailed closely after him. Gods, he was such an idiot. Why did he make those moves on Squall? What was he thinking—no, why _wasn't_ he thinking? It was all over with now. It had to end. It was all over his head. A mistake. It was a bad dream.

No. It was a good dream. Nothing felt as wonderful as Squall's body so close, and the warm breath on the side of his neck urging him to continue..

Seifer groaned as his problem in his loins became worse. Another problem just then walked into Seifer's life, and it was in the shape of a young, slender woman. They collided, the smaller stumbling back.

"Oh.. Sorry!" The woman chirped her blue-grey eyes flew up to Seifer's face. "Oh—Seifer—I was just wondering if you knew Squall was back. I told my father that he returned, but it seemed I can't either of them anywhere. Have you seen them?"

Seifer stared, absently wondering why anyone would be up at such strange hours of the night. Maybe it was just Squall's family that was weird. Seifer watched as Ellone's eyes scanned over his body. He was well aware of the fact that he stood, dripping wet before the woman. Suddenly Ellone's face turned bright red when her examination reached Seifer's lower regions. She immediately adverted her eyes and stepped out of Seifer's path. "Sorry—I uh, I didn't meant to bump into you."

Seifer bit down on his bottom lip and tried to sum up his last bit of dignity. Ellone had probably noticed his aroused state. "Excuse me. I need to go change. Could you point me in the proper direction?"

Wordlessly Ellone's hand flew up and pointed down the hallway. Seifer nodded his thanks to the woman and walked calmly away—well aware of the eyes glued to his backside.

**End Chapter.**

_That was my first time writing anything like that. I hope it wasn't too disappointing, I didn't know how to go on about writing it. I'm worried about posting it, that's why this update took so long. Anyway, yes, the ring Irvine uses does hold the power of Pandemonium. I'm kind of rushing, so thank you all for the reviews, and again I apologize for the lack in updates._

_I have one question I'd like to try and answer. What made me set the story with an Egyptian flare? It was actually a song, by Three Day Grace. You know, the one that they overplayed to death. I never listen to the radio, or MTV, so I was not affected by it's repeated popularity. Anyway, the lyric "I hate everything about you. Why do I love you?" Gave me the idea. A lot of Seifer/Squall stories that I have read, the two have a love/hate relationship. At one point I got to the point of thinking about how a slaver owner is suppose to hate his slaves, and it was taboo to be kind or like them. I then thought of Prince of Egypt, the cartoon biblical movie. I've always like it, and the Egyptian culture. The statues, the clothing, everything. And they had slaves. So yeah.. most of my ideas are rather random and jumbled together. It just all came at once so it's hard to explain—but mainly it was inspired by that song. _

_Now please, would you guys review my FF7 story? It's dying for reviews. I'm all happy about the darkness I'm beginning to weave into the plot. ;.; Pleease? --Nah, you don't have too. But I'd really appreciate it._


	6. Reunion

**Sea of Ice**

**Chapter Six: Reunion**

**Squall:  
**

"Squall?"

Sinking further into the warm water, Squall seriously considered drowning himself just to avoid his father's questioning. The silent treatment would only last so long, eventually all of them would expect answers. But, Squall mentally cursed while gritting his teeth, he could not deal with the situation at the moment; not when his skin still tingled where Seifer had touched, and his lips remained numb from their passionate kiss. Again Squall's face flushed in embarrassment.

"Everyone is really excited about your return, but we're dying to know what happened--"

Squall tuned out his father while making a hasty grab for his shorts, grimacing when he saw his shirt had been tossed out of his immediate reach. His heart continued to flutter in his chest, and the brunet pulled the shorts on underwater before standing, grabbing his towel and wrapping it around his waist. The water rose half way up Squall's thighs, wetting most of the towel, but the former slave didn't care. The last thing he wanted was his father to notice his inappropriate state of being.

"--They said you were kidnapped and," Laguna paused his rambling and observed his son's unusual display of modesty. "I seem to recall a certain four year old that use to run naked through the palace. Is everything alright Squall?"

With embarrassment hid behind a pointed scowl, Squall climbed the steps out of the pool and tried to shake off the concerned look directed at him. "No--Yes--I'm fine. I'm really tired."

"Oh right, of course." Laguna's body and hands exaggerated the words, but he did not seem ready to let Squall retire just yet. "I'm sure you've had an exhausting journey. We'll have time to catch up tomorrow. Let's do breakfast--no, you'll probably want to sleep in. It is late afterall. How about lunch?"

Laguna tilted his head inquiringly at his son. Squall opened his mouth to speak, but before he could respond Laguna rambled on. "Lunch then. I'll let your sister know. She really wanted to--" He stumbled on his words upon seeing the glare slowly forming on his son's features. "--Right, sorry, you were going to get some rest. Alright then!" Laguna spread his arms toward the youth. "Give you father a hug and be off."

Squall gave his father an incredulous look, "I'm not a child anymore."

"Oh.. uhm, right." Laguna awkwardly let his arms lower back to his sides. His expression, howerver, did not look hurt. Instead the man appeared confused, curious even as he began to lean forward and squint at Squall's face. "What happened to your.."

Squall instantly spun away, oddly panicked about his father noticing the prominent scar between his eyes. His panic escalated when he felt fingers touching against his bare shoulder blade.

"Squall.. what are.. are these whip marks?"

His lungs ceased functioning. Squall eyes widened as his lips mouthed various denials paired with his head repeatedly shaking back and forth. He had turned to hide one scar, only to reveal a plethora of them criss-crossing over his spine. "N-no," Squall stepped away from Laguna's touch. "They're j-just scars."

"No.. " The original goofy happiness gave way to a low, stern tone. Laguna pointedly narrowed his eyes on his son's downcast face. "I can tell those are from a whip. We are going to talk about this tomorrow." The firm tone and expression only lasted a second before Laguna's deep concern showed. "Squall, what happened to you?"

"It's nothing," Squall brushed the topic aside and quickly began to walk the path of flagstones. His father called out to him, but the brunet responded by quickening his pace until he was nearly jogging with one hand firmly holding the towel around his waist. His wet footsteps echoed as he entered the hallway but Squall didn't slow down.

How was he going to explain the scars to his father? He had to think of something--anything but the truth. Squall did not have the creativity to come up with a plausible lie. Silence had always been his safety. As long as he never said anything, people would always make up their own stories--but what would be worse, the truth or the tale his father would create?

Lost in his frantic thoughts, Squall automatically navigated his way through the halls as if he had not been gone four years. He brushed aside the silken curtains to his room and began to rummage through his old clothes to find something that would fit. At least until he noticed the pair of jade eyes focused on him. Squall tightened his grip on the towel and stood straight to observe the blonde ex-prince lounging on top of the covers of the bed. How could Seifer just lay there without a care in the wold? Blue-gray eyes narrowed and words flew out of his mouth before he could think rationally. "What do you think you are doing?"

Seifer arched a single eyebrow and lazily spread his arm wide in a gesture that clearly communicated his sarcastic response: _what do you think I'm doing?_. At least Seifer had changed into a dry pair of clothes before making himself at home. Squall briskly shook his head with disapproval. "You can't be here."

A second eyebrow joined the first, "And why not?"

"_Because!_" Squall shouted, not sure why he was snapping at the blond. He shook his head again, clearly distress about something entirely unrelated to current conversation. "Because," he repeated only a fraction more calmly, "I sleep here."

"Yes," Seifer nodded sagely while lacing his fingers behind his head. "Which is precisely the reason why I am here."

"There's only one bed," Squall blindly argued while resuming his search for suitable clothing.

Seifer sat up, just the slightest bit of concern showing through his playful grin. "Your point?"

"My point!" Squall rose a second time, throwing a shirt at the stubborn blonde in anger--it only flew half way to the bed before limply falling to the floor. "You can't sleep here. You can't share a bed with me!"

"Squall what in Baham--"

"_Don't say that name here!_"

"--mut's name has gotten into you!?" Seifer's words began as a worried question but quickly escalated into an angry shout. "How is this any different than how we were out in the desert--from what we were _enjoying_ at the bath? I'm really struggling to understand what the hell is going through your head. I mean, one moment you're all but throwing yourself at me, the next you're baring fangs and lunging at my throat. I deserve an explanation."

Growling in frustration, Squall crouched down and fisted his hands into dark brown hair. "I know, I know." He heaved a pained sigh, causing Seifer to rise from the bed and tentatively approach the upset brunet. "I don't know what to tell them--how can I explain to them where I've been all this time?"

"Well.. " Seifer's voice had softened, but the underlying annoyance remained. He cautiously doubled to plant a warm hand on Squall's bare shoulder and attempt to make eye contact. "Ellone told me they all think you were kidnapped--"

"--But I wasn't!" Squalls blurted, hands releasing his hair and angrily slicing the air. His storm blue eyes connected with dark jade, giving Seifer a full dose of the panic that viciously circled inside of the brunet. "I can't lie to them and I can't tell them the truth!"

Squall suddenly found himself grabbed under his left arm and hauled up to a standing position. His eyes widened slightly at the determined, maybe even slightly miffed, expression on Seifer's face. The intensity in the man's jade eyes burned into Squall. "What are you going to do, Squall?" a dangerous, mocking tone carried his words. "Run away again?"

Squall head snapped to the side as if slapped. His eyes stared distantly at the pile of disheveled clothing strewn across the floor. The jeer had struck a nerve, only because what Seifer said rang true. Squall had been running and hiding for four years; a survival instinct he could not easily shake off.

Seifer strongly shook Squall's shoulders to bring him out of the daze, "Get a grip on yourself. You have deal with this whether you like it or not. You're not going to hurt anyone if you don't tell them the entire truth. I'm sure that everyone is going to be too busy being happy your are back to worry themselves over the details concerning your absence.. Just say that _yes_ you were kidnapped, but escaped and had wandered the desert since then."

Squall sighed, Seifer made it sound so simple. He weakly curled his fingers around the front of the blonde's tunic. He spoke, words strained and directed at the floor. "He saw the scars on my back.."

"Soo," Seifer loosened his grip on Squall's arm. With his other hand he flicked his fingers through the air as he weaved the detail into the story. "They kidnapped you and sold you as a slave and you got whipped for trying to escape the first time, the second time you managed to get away."

Slowly the panic began to leave Squall's mind. He shut his eyes and limply leaned forward to lean his forehead against the warmth of Seifer's chest. How, in such a short time, he had come to find comfort in the arrogant blonde's presence would always mystify him. But the fact remained that he did. He felt safe against the other's firm chest and welcomed there when two strong arms hugged around his lithe frame. "What about the one on my face.."

Seifer chuckled while his hands moved to gently rub up and down Squall's back. "Now that one can be fun, you can come up with a story about how you fought off an over zealous bandit. It will make the girls swoon~"

Squall snorted while shift to lay his head against Seifer's shoulder. He opened his eyes slightly while raising an eyebrow. "Actually, I did met the so called _Prince of Theives_.."

"Really," Seifer mirrored the expression with a skeptical tone.

"Mhmm.. his name was Irvine, he--"

"--What kind of name is that for a Prince of Thieves?" Seifer cut in with a unimpressed laugh.

Squall blinked at being cut off, but merely smiled and chuckled softly to himself. Somehow he had known Seifer would find the idea of there being a prince of thieves to be amusing. The laughter died away and as the silence stretched on Squall began to feel nervous. His cheeks began to burn and he tucked his head down to hide his face to avoid any teasing remarks. The hug served as a source of calming comfort, but now that Squall more or less had control of his emotions he found the gesture unneeded. Yes he was comfortable there, perhaps too comfortable. Silly of him to feel awkward now, when in the bath they had---

Squall's face turned completely red and he further turned his face from Seifer. "What about you?" He chirped, wanting to distract his own thoughts. "Where did I find a servant?"

An impish grin stretch slowly across Seifer's lips, "You spotted me working in a field, I stood to stretch and you couldn't help but stare at the way the sun splash over my perfect body, the sweat rolled off my brow, running down my naked chest--"

"You are so full of yourself," Squall shoved the blonde away while shaking his head.

"--You _had_ to have me with you," Seifer continued undeterred, the laughter bright on his features. "You got down on your knees and begged me to come with you. I humbly refused but you wouldn't take no for an answer."

"I can't believe I'm listening this," Squall couldn't muffle the laughter bubbling up inside his chest. He smiled, but continued to shake his head at the playfulness he saw in the other's jade eyes.

"You told me you were a prince from a far away land and promised to give me riches beyond my wildest dreams. Again, being the modest peasant I was, I refused the temptation. Determined as you were, you came back day after day, finally I agreed to travel at your side--but!" With a broad smil Seifer stepped over to Squall, holding up his hand and extending a finger toward the ceiling. "I only asked for one thing in return."

Squall had a hard time keeping a straight face, a smile kept breaking the stern glare he was trying to maintain. "And what was that?"

"A kiss," Seifer said simply, the playfulness lessening somewhat as he took another step, hand raising to curl behind Squall's head and slowly pull the brunet closer.

"You're crazy," Squall mumbled, his face reignited with his earlier blush. He didn't fight Seifer's guiding hand, and soon he felt his eyes flutter close and his lips tilting up to the other man.

"Maybe," Seifer's soft whisper brushed over Squall's lips.

"Squall," a feminine voice shattered the moment, "Squall are you in here?"

The alarmed brunet instantly put a healthy distance between himself and Seifer. He turned his head slightly to glance over his shoulder at the doorway of his room--missing the way Seifer's hands violently fisted when Squall slipped away.

The silk curtains shifted as a tall woman entered. Her dark blonde hair was skillfully pulled back with only a few strands escaping to frame her delicate features. Her bright blue eyes cautiously scanned the room before locking fully on Squall. A small smile appeared on her pale lips and she confidently strode over to him with no show of worry toward his current state of undress.

"Quistis.. " Squall stared, wide eyed and not bothering to hide his surprise.

Stepping between the two men, Quistis continued to smile. As Squall looked on in confusion, the woman's eyes only brimmed with adoration for the other. No one seemed to notice the lethal glare Seifer aimed at the intruder. Quistis moved closer to be in a more intimate space. "It's been a long time, Squall. I always knew you would come back."

"You.. " Speechless, Squall looked toward Seifer for help.

The blonde looked as if he wanted to strangle someone; namely Quistis and took no heed to Squall's silent plea. Quistis, however, did notice Squall's shift of attention and pivoted to glance over her shoulder at the tall man. Her bright eyes did not reach his face, merely looked him over from the neck down before she waved him away. "You can leave."

Squall watched as Seifer's chest swelled with suppressed rage. The flaring orbs of dark jade snapped onto him and Squall flinched under their intensity. "H-he's my servant."

"He's welcome to stay with the palace servants. I'm sure they can provide him with proper bedding and clothes." Quistis quickly replied, not missing a beat. Again her eyes and smile centered on Squall. "We have a lot to catch up on."

"Right," Squall responded absently, unable to shake off the authoritative air Quistis held around herself.

A ferocious growl filled the room, the source being Seifer as he chopped his hand through the air. He loudly stomped his way out through the curtains before Squall realized what had just occurred. "Wait, I didn't mean--"

"I realize, Squall, that out there you may have needed a bit of muscle for protection.." Quistis voice cut him off, her soft tone somehow demanding him to pay attention to her. "But now that you are home, you won't need him."

Squall felt his heart sink and a coldness form in the pit of his stomach. The surprise faded from his features leaving behind his typical stoic expression with narrowed eyes. He stepped around the woman and stooped to pick through the clothing. "I need to get dressed."

Quistis merely nodded and turned her back to give him privacy, not picking up on the subtle hint to leave. Squall saw this and felt his jaw clentch with irritation. "Please leave."

"Oh Squall," Her tone was teasing. "You shouldn't behave so shyly with your future wife."

His hand froze over a pair of shorts. The spoken words visible shook him and once again Squall felt the touch of panic needling at his nerves. Years ago his father had arranged a future marriage between him and the daughter of a neighboring region--an alliance done by mixing blood ties; but that had been long ago, and Squall assume the promise was off once he disappeared.

"You .. waited for me to return?" He asked in disbelief.

"Of course!"

"What if didn't come back?"

"I always knew you would return," Quistis nodded to words. "A kidnapped prince, they couldn't kill you. I assumed they wanted to hold you for ransom but you must have given them the slip because it never came. It took longer than I expected for you to find your way back, but you never were good with directions." She chuckled while Squall's brow drew together as he listened to her rationalize his absence. "That, and Laguna owes a debt to my father. He still needs to pay up, but since you are back I'm sure he'll be content with the original agreement."

Squall felt sick--he hated politics. "Quistis, I'm really tired. I don't want to talk about this right now."

"Would you like some company for the night?" Quistis glanced over her shoulder.

The soft inquiry caught Squall off guard and when the implied question dawned on him his cheeks once again heated.

"Squall," Quistis turned, her voice taking on the quality fit for pillow talk as she attempted to understand the reason behind his blush. She reached for his arm while her eyes trailed down his torso. "You really have matured while you were gone. You've become a very handsome man.. "

Squall caught her hand before it could touch him, he ignored the shock and hurt clear on her face and forcefully lead her outside the room. He quickly dropped her hand. "Goodnight Quistis."

He glanced up and down the hall before slipped back into his room. Seifer had been nowhere in sight, which made Squall feel sick. Hopefully the blonde would return later once he had cooled off. Squall had not meant to dismiss him; it had been a misunderstanding. Frowning sharply, the brunet dressed, snuffed the oil lanterns and slipped into bed. For an hour or more he stayed up waiting for Seifer, but no one came, and slowly Squall fell into a restless sleep..

**End Chapter.**

_So, after five years I think I am over due for an update. *mad cackle* Randomly I was reading my old fanfics and just got the sudden urge to try and finish a few of them. I wrote this chapter in a day, the style and characterization may be off but I remember the general plot line I originally had in mind. I have the next four chapters planned out as well, so hopefully I can keep the pace up and bring closure to this old fic.  
_


	7. Stars cannot lie

**Sea of Ice**

**Chapter Seven: Stars cannot lie  
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**Seifer:**

The sun slowly crested the horizon to signal the beginning of a new day. A warm wave swept over the land, washing away the clinging remains of the cool night. Soon the streets began flowing with the morning's dutiful workers. In the palace a similar thriving rose as the rays of sunlight peeked in through the open windows.

At first the warm splash of sunlight that play over Seifer's face could be ignored by turning away from the window. He could easily sleep in another few hours, if only his newly acquired roommates knew the bliss of over-sleeping. Seifer rolled onto his back and curled his arms around his head to block out both the sunlight and the sound of the other servants waking and dressing for the day's work.

A hand gently touched his shoulder, but Seifer angrily turned the opposite way. A lifetime of sleeping in and deciding when he wanted to wake up made him a stubborn resident. Whoever it had been did not try to rouse him a second time. Little talk passed between the other servants as they prepared themselves, cleaned their separate areas, then left to tend to daily chores. Thankful for their departure, Seifer rearranged himself on the stiff bed and urged himself back toward sleep.

The cheerful morning had other plans for the lazy blonde. Birds, of all kinds, began their early day chatter as they woke and flushed to and fro gathering breakfast. Seifer darkly glowered, jade eyes slitting open to leer moodily at the open window. He had never been woken by the sound of so many persistently joyful birds. In Zamir there were only a few indigenous birds, and they certainly did not flock together to create such an ungodly chorus.

Seifer whined piteously to himself as he rolled face down and once again covered his head with both arms. The eastern land really must have a grudge against him, not one single thing had gone smoothly since his arrival. A few matters were more irksome than the bunch of vocal birds souring his morning; such as Laguna stumbling upon him during his shared moonlit bath, or Quistis interrupting his bedroom courting of the moody brunet. Both times Seifer had finally made Squall relax, to open up--to accept and enjoy the attraction that obviously flared between them. Seifer was fairly sure, although reluctant to admit, that he was falling head of heels for the other. Long ago he had admited to his physical attract, but slowly it had become more than just simple lusting. He forgave every transgression, every outburst, he longed to make the other smile, to protect and chase away the other's fears like some heroic warrior..

Of course he would never admit such silly feelings to Squall. He would never live down the embarrassment. Regardless, Seifer was determined to endlessly pursue the brunet in hopes of forming a solid relationship. In fact, the ex-prince mused playfully to himself while swinging his legs off the side of the bed to sit up, his first goal of the day would to make himself completely irresistible so that Squall would be unable kick him out of his bedchambers a second night. It was a frivolous goal, but the beds in the servants quarters were so uncomfortable..

Seifer stood stretching his long profile until his spine cracked in relief, quietly complaining about its night spent on the unyielding mattress. After washing his face he dressed in the unflattering plain servant garments. The articles were a hindrance to his royal blooded good looks--and the ex-prince planned to highlight on that finer point. Surely the palace had a custom tailor; he had a personal seamstress in Zamir and thought it customary for any royal family to have such luxuries. With a smile Seifer set out to start his early morning. It may have been wise for him to be more subtle about his actions, but he abandoned such caution and questioned the first individual he saw. Judging by the disapproving face she gave Seifer, he assumed it was unappropriated, not only in the west but in the east, for servants to approach and question those of higher status.

Seifer still managed to get an answer, learning the best tailor resided outside the palace in the city of Marr. After gathering what little money he had left from his travelings through the desert, Seifer returned to the servant quarters to find the silver wrists cuffs he could wear to mark him as a servant to the royal family. The morning was still early by the time the blonde head out into the city.

Marr really was a spectacular place. Seifer couldn't help but shorten his long strides and admire the town that seemed untouched by the harshness of the desert that laid a few miles to the west. The Cliffs that sheltered them from the winds must have made all the difference. Everywhere plants hung from windows or grew in small personal gardens. Small mechanical wonders were at every turn and once or twice Seifer found himself rooted in mid-stride to stare wide-eyed at the strange little wonders. He had thought Zamir to be the top of the world, but compared to Marr, Zamir seemed to be so.. primitive. The very feeling of the city felt more upbeat, _alive_; a stark contrast to the gloom that settled like dust over the citizens of his home city.

A pair of black eyes situated on either side of a large curved beck appeared in front of Seifer, causing the blonde to stumble backward to avoid a collision. It blinked curiously at him, and in return, Seifer blinked right back at the large yellow _bird_ that stood in front of him. The creature appeared slender, swift really, with a light body held up by two long scaled legs. A custom made saddle sat on its back, assuring Seifer the bird was a domesticated creature; a working one considering the straps running from the saddle to cart behind it. Stretching it's long neck the bird peered closer at the blonde.

"Nice birdie.. " Seifer submissively raised both hands.

"Wark?" The large smooth beak nudged him in the chest.

"Warrrrk.. ?" Seifer warbled nervously back at bird while edging around it. The large yellow creature followed him with it's head, taking small sniffs of air around him, emitting a soft kweh-like noise with each exhale.

Finally out of reach of the bird, Seifer turned and continued to pick his way down the busy street. He glanced over his shoulder, noticing the bird had raised his head above the traffic to watch him leave. Sad _warks_ called after him, but Seifer pushed onward. What a bizarre creature..

After a few wrong turns and misinterpreted directions, Seifer finally found the right shop. It would have helped if he could read the sign, but the eastern kingdom used some sort of _script_, as they called it, where in Zamir they used hieroglyphs. Seifer cautiously stepped through the doorway to peer around at the walls draped in long stripes of colorful fabrics. Various gowns were on display and Seifer mentally complimented the tailor's impeccable work as he passed.

"Greetings," A small, aged woman seemed to appear from between the folds of a hanging fabric. Her eyes flicked to the silver cuffs before settling curiously on Seifer's face. "From the palace, how unexpected, what can I do for you young dear?"

"I have been sent here to have custom garments made," The lie came easily, but the old woman still gave Seifer a measuring look. Of course Seifer did not exactly look, or behave like a humble palace servant--but who was she to question him.

"Who for?"

"Me."

Again she peered curiously at the blonde, but did not pry. "Very well, and what does your lady wish for you?"

Seifer opened his mouth to correct the woman, but thought better of it and stilled his tongue. The arrangements might go smoother if he didn't spin a tale of how Squall wanted him to wear the rather peculiar piece he was going to request. "I was purchased in the lands of the west and my master wishes that I retain that image."

"Purchased?" The old lady echoed while squinting oddly at the tall man. "Yes.. yes, I do suppose that slavery is still a thriving trade there, you do have a westerly look about you. Although I hope your lady pays you for your service, the nobility have tried very hard to get away from the slave-master image."

She gingerly grabbed his wrist and led him into a backroom. "I haven't made anything of that style in a long time. Does your lady know what she wants?"

After a brief discussion Seifer described to her a common piece of clothing in the west, but seemingly an exotic one in the east. A knee length fitted skirt, the front piece being disconnected much like loincloth--allowing glimpses of his inner thigh when he walked, and when he sat down the middle piece fell to properly cover his privates. It was a fairly simple piece to make and the old woman began taking measurements around his waist and thighs. The clothing of Zamir had always been simple, requiring no additional layers and very few stitches.

As she finished measuring his length, hip to knee, the old woman peered up at Seifer. "Who is your lady?"

Seifer tensed. It had come to a point where he could not make up a lie, surely the woman knew all the noble figures in the palace. He couldn't say Ellone--she was much too kind and sweet to have any risque rumors started about her and some foreign male servant. Seifer spoke the only other name he knew, "Quistis."

"Oh," Her eyes widened in alarm, and she quickly busied herself. "I did not realize you were servant to the Lady Trepe, forgive an old lady's prying."

Seifer arched an eyebrow, but said nothing of it. Apparently this Quistis struck fear into those of the lower class. He mentally noted the information as useful. "She wants me ready before the sun begins it's descent."

"Yes, of course, anything for Lady Trepe."

It only took two full hours for the woman to complete the piece. Privately Seifer had wanted to make it out of crimson, but had decided on keeping to the plain white of a servant. No need to draw _too_ much attention. It looked rather plain, until the woman thought to add a wide sash of dark green, pinning it on either side of his hips with silver buckles to match his wristcuffs and letting long green folds drape down in the back. She stepped back and studied her work, "Dear, I must say you make this style look marvelous. It is very exotic, I hope your lady likes it."

"Me too," Seifer softly spoke while examining himself in the nearby mirror. When he went bare chested, there was no way Squall could deny the fact he look delicious--or so Seifer told himself. "How much will it cost?"

"Oh nothing, tell your lady it is a gift." The woman again appeared nervous.

"Very well, I will tell her of your fine work." He nodded politely and re-dress in his plain servant garb and exited the store with his new bundle. Interesting that Quistis name made the woman on edge, Seifer wonder if he should drop her name a few other places to see what other perks he could earn.

With gold still to burn, Seifer ventured deeper into the town to explore the market. He caught glimpses of other palace servants shopping for food, but they did not grant him any attention. To be ignored, while in a large group of people, unnerved the ex-prince. He almost dared to admit he missed people bowing at his feet and clearing a path. Here people bumped into his shoulder and continued walking. Hollers of nearby traders beckoned him and Seifer began to browse--eventually ending in front of a small table covered with various engineering wonders.

They seemed to be children toys, but their self powered movements enchanted Seifer all the same. Many had cranks and turn keys and Seifer took his time to try out each one, marveling over the mechanics. He picked up a rather plain looking box that was small enough to sit in his palm. It was empty, but had a turnkey on the side so Seifer curiously turned the metal. His eyes widened when he heard music come from the box. He closed the lid, the music halted--opened the lid and it continued. Seifer turned the box over in his hand trying to figure out how the sound was being made.

The trader chuckled at him, "You like?"

"What is it?" Seifer inquired with a flick of his eyes.

"A music box."

Seifer frowned with the simplicity of the name but resumed his examination of the tiny box. The tune it repeated was slow, a tad mellow edging on being haunting. He snapped it closed and focused upon the trader. "How much?"

"For you, a gold." The man's misleading smile crinkled the corners of his dark eyes.

Seifer glared, knowing the price was ridiculous. But in the interest of saving time--and refusing to admit he did not know how to barter--Seifer tossed a gold coin onto the man's table and began to walk away.

"Hey you! What is this? This isn't money!" The man shouted at his back, brandishing the coin at him.

The blonde bristled, then tucked the box into his bundle of clothes before whirling on the man. "What are you talking about?"

"_This_ is money," A second coin was held next to the one Seifer had given, his being thicker and the design differing. "What is this trash you throw on my table? I demand to be paid properly!"

Onlookers turned to the scene and Seifer felt himself wither ever so slightly. The muscle in his cheek flexed as he firmed his jaw, fighting to remain calm. "It's western gold."

"What? You give me traitor's gold?" He continued with an accusing finger pointing at Seifer.

Seifer felt his temper flare, "Traitor!? You--" He took a threatening step toward the merchant, then stopped himself. He growled lowly then sharply pivoted around to stalk away from the booth. "Gold is gold, what does it matter to you!"

"Western trash! Come back and give me real money! Hey! Hey you! _Thief_!"

Absolutely fuming Seifer continued to plow his way down the street, shoving aside a woman, sending her armful of goods rolling over the street. She cried angrily after him but Seifer didn't hear a thing. He thought he had left everything behind him that day he had taken Squall out of Zamir. He had disowned his own family, yet still a sense of pride fueled his temper at being referred to as a traitor. The merchant had no idea what he was talking about! His people were not traitors--what did it even mean? If anyone, the real traitors were the easterners. They had committed blasphemy by idolizing another god over Bahamut--the creator of the world.

All the way to the palace Seifer fed his anger. He blindly wandered the halls, clutching the goods to his chest with a scowl. It was an irrational anger, and Seifer knew it; knew that he shouldn't care since he had left his old life. He wanted answers, and unknowingly Seifer led himself to Squall's room--his knowledge of the palace's layout was getting better. To his dismay he found the room empty. Snorting his irritation, Seifer set his stuff on the window sill and opted to wait for the brunet's return.

However, patience was never Seifer's strong point, and he soon became restless. Seifer channeled his anger into each of his actions. He changed into his new garment, leaving his chest bare. He meticulously washed his face and arranged his hair using the items meant for Squall. He sampled the oils until he found a faint spice-like aroma he liked and dabbed it against his neck, under both arms then just below his naval. One glance at his dirty feet made Seifer retrieved a wash brush and head out to the bath. A prominent scowl hardened his features and the muscle at the back of his jaw continued to bulged every few seconds.

Everything had to be perfect.

Not knowing of any other bath, Seifer found the warm outdoor pool he and Squall had used the previous night. Thankfully he found it empty and diligently set about cleaning the dirt off his legs and feet. A lovely scent wafted up to his nose, making his actions halt in mid motion. The blonde sat up straight, inhaling deeply at the delicious aroma of food. His stomach rumbled scoldingly at the ex-prince for skipping breakfast.

His anger began to fade at the prospect of finding a meal. Seifer set down the brush and began to follow the intoxicating scent. His stomach spurred him forward and the blonde eventually stumbled onto an outdoor patio. A large table stood in the middle of the open air, brimming with freshly prepared dishes. Again Seifer's stomach grumbled but the blonde made no further steps. The Royal family was seated around the table, Laguna at the head of the table and leading a conversation.

Servants were situated around the table, some holding shade umbrellas while others stood ready to tend to any request. Seifer spotted Squall and, smirkly to himself, silently shifted around to stand on the opposite side of the table to be in plain view for the other. Seifer folded his hands behind his back, showing off his long, chiseled torso. A smile stretched over his lips as he waited to be noticed, jade eyes remaining steadily upon Squall--willing the other to look up.

When storm blue eyes did glance up, they widened in shock. Squall's hand froze and mid-action, holding a piece of orange cantaloupe inches from his gaping mouth. Seifer grinned broadly, internally chuckled at the goofy expression on the other's face. A second pair of blue-grey eyes found Seifer, and Ellone--seated next to her brother--also stared openly.

"Squall?" Laguna broke the daze. "Did you hear me?"

"Uh," Squall blinked rapidly, cheeks tinged with pink. He forced his gaze back to his father. "No, sorry."

"I think it's time you explain to all of us about what happened," Laguna repeated.

Squall coughed lightly, eyes flicking briefly to Seifer before immediately snapping away. The blonde smiled, quite pleased with the effect he was having on the eastern prince. He couldn't wait to get the brunet somewhere more private. "I was kidna--"

"Kidnapped, yes, Ellone told us all about that night. But do you know by who? We never heard anything about you."

Squall visible fidgeted, "Well--"

"It had to be one of the other kingdoms because we searched our lands high and low." Laguna vocalized his inner thoughts, oblivious to the way he interuppted his son.

Brows knitted together as Squall tried to explain, "They sold me as a slave--"

"It is a known fact that only the westerners practice slavery these days," Quistis eagerly supplied the information from here seat across from Ellone. "The other kingdoms have abolished it."

"Yes," Laguna agreed with a gave nod. "That would explain the scars he has."

Quistis leaned forward, concern painted on her delicate face. "What do you mean?"

"His back it littered with marks that could only have come from a whip."

"The way only they would punish a slave. They're such barbarians!" She shook the mental image from her head.

Seifer finally tuned into the conversation, not so concerned about flustering the brunet anymore--especially since Squall shifted to sit with his face pressed into his palm; trying to disappear.

"Heathens!" Laguna agreed with a fist hitting the table. "They invaded our lands, kidnapped my son and tortured him! Do they know no bounds!?"

"Father," Squall meekly spoke, trying again to be heard over the flying assumptions. "That's not ho--"

"No!" Against the fist pounded the table. "I will not allow their evils to go unpunished. It's about time we put an end to their barbaric practices."

Seifer seethed at the words, his heart fluttering in disbelief at the mixute of emotions flooding his mind. His earlier anger at being referred to as a traitor rekindled into an uncontrolled blaze. His chest swelled as he glanced between the outrageous words flying out of Laguna's mouth to the lack of words coming from Squall. When the brunet seemed to shell in on himself, Seifer snapped. His outrage silenced them all, "You're the heathens! Your people are the ones that turned your backs on the gods and chose to only give praise to one. We let you be and we continued to live as we always have--"

"--As murderous animals." Quistis sneered unattractively at him.

Seifer glared at her, causing the blonde woman to frightfully look aside. "We live by the decree of the gods. Something you would not be able to understand. I did not believe it when I was told the east rises against us, but the stars have also warned us of war. You cannot do this!"

All eyes were on the irate blonde. Laguna finally broke the tense silence, "Who are you?"

Squall finally seemed to find his voice, albiet unsteady. "H-he's a native from the west. My servant, I'm sorry--"

"You're apologizing for your servant?" Quistis rhetorically quipped.

Squall narrowed his eyes in return, "He feels strongly about his homeland."

Laguna seemed uninterested in anyone but Seifer. "It is not your place speak freely."

Jade eyes burned with unbridled fury, "You speak of _war_ against _my_ people! I have every right to point out that you are being an idiot. You--"

"Seifer!" Squall shouted, standing up from his seat with palms planted firmly on the table. "Go. Now."

The blonde look taken back, hurt cut through his anger. "Squall.."

"Seifer!" The brunet barked a second time while pointing to the far hall. Seifer snapped his mouth shut and pierced Squall with a loathing glare. He put his rage into the single look, silently demanding that Squall fix the situation, _or else_. Laguna was talking about wiping out his people and Squall was just passively sitting by--did he forget that he had friends back in Zamir? That despite leaving it all behind, the west was still a large part of Seifer? The blonde turned and stormed away, his anger leaving everyone shaken.

**Squall:**

Why couldn't Seifer just calm down and think before he burst out with such fiery rage? Squall tightly closed his eyes while pinching the bridge of his nose to ease his throbbing headache. "I'll talk with him. Seifer isn't use to being.. " _a servant?_ "being in this situation."

"You need to dismiss him, Squall." Quistis supplied her opinion in the same matter-of-fact tone she had used the previous night. "It's not right to keep him, he has no purpose here."

"Please excuse me," Ellone quietly spoke, here thinly veiled annoyance clearly heard. She bowing her head and stood from the table. "I cannot bear to hear this talk any longer." She curtsied to Laguna. "Sorry father." With an acute frown she left the three alone.

Squall barely noticed her departure, his narrowed gaze had not left Quistis. He wanted to argue with her, but found he couldn't think of a reason why Seifer should stay--aside that he simply wanted Seifer to stay. "He has a point, the west hasn't done anything to the other kingdoms to merit a war."

"What does he know," Quistis shot back, bolder now that Seifer had been removed from the conversation. "He's just a dumb piece of muscle you happened to pick up in that god forsaken desert. What is this _my people_ he talks about? Last I knew slaves didn't hold any claim to the land. He doesn't know anything of how that country is ruled."

"That's not true," Squall growled, but found the words weak when he could not explain that Seifer was a prince, that one day he would have been pharaoh if he had not recklessly abandoned it all for.. for _him_.

"Any native would feel strongly about their homeland, but that is only because they don't know any better." She turned her bright eyes to Laguna. "I'm more than sure that the north would support your decision to go to war. My father and his army would gladly serve the cause once the marriage is blessed and our lands joined."

Laguna nodded to her words, "There comes a time when a man is either or action, or of words. I will arrange a meeting with the council."

Squall sighed while his arm swept his full plate off the table. Laguna shot a look of disapproval at his son before excusing himself from the table. Quistis remained behind, smiling ever so slightly at the frazzled brunet--blind to his inner turmoil. She plucked up wine and surveyed him over the glass rim. "Will you take a walk with me, Squall?"

Tensing, Squall turned his face away and ignored the request. How could she sit so calmly!? The council was only going to agree to the prospects of war! The reason Squall had first run away was to avoid that, to prevent the council from using Ellone to unleash death on the rest of the world. Squall's forehead hit the table, one hand fisted in his hair while the other weakly pounded against the hard wood.

Quistis pursed her pale lips at him, "Honestly, I have no idea why you are so upset. You of all people should detest the west. They enslaved and tortured you for years."

_But I don't.._

"You know first hand how their monstrous society works."

Squall couldn't find it in himself to argue out loud. Yes, he had seen the very heart of the west and agreed that they appeared very cruel. Yet Seifer wasn't a monster, he cared about people, cared about _him_. But, a dark thought sunk Squall's heart into the pit of his stomach, Seifer use to be exactly like the way everyone else spoke. Squall curled his arms around his head while struggling to find any reason why the west did not deserve to be 'righted'. Nothing good had come out of the desert; just pain, fear and misery.

**End Chapter.**

_This chapter seemed to balloon at odd places, then drag on at others. I apologize for the quality, but I am sort of forcing myself to keep writing before I can become distracted and forget this fic all over again._


	8. As our paths part

**Sea of Ice**

**Chapter Eight: As our paths part..**

**Seifer:  
**

The gods were punishing him.

Seifer sat hunched on a smooth, stone bench inside one of the palace's larger gardens. His fingers ran repeatedly through his short golden hairs; starting at his bangs, sliding above his ear and ending to rub the base of his neck. Eyes were tightly shut with his chin tucked closely to his chest; defeated. His life was like a woven piece of rope. It held strong when used for its intended purpose--fate's plan--but when altered, cutting one of the fine threads, the rest of the rope soon frayed and snapped under the strain.

The gods were laughing at him.

He, like these eastern heathens, had turned his back on the gods he revered. Seifer left his preordained life; had altered that rope, and the threads were unraveling between his fingers despite how vainly he grasped at their ends. He never should have left Zamir. A life outside of the arid desert was never meant to be his. As a prince, a future pharaohs, it had been Seifer's duty to govern the land, honor the gods--continue the tradition, the bloodline. Yet he had broken the ways of old, and now the gods would punish them all for his transgression. They would bring war; they would bring death.

"May I?"

Seifer's head snapped up, vision slightly blurred as he struggled to focus on the thin frame standing politely off to his side. The blonde roughly rubbed a palm against his left eye to relieve the stinging sensation--he must have forgotten to blink, that's all. Ellone's friendly face and shy smile came into focus and Seifer found himself wrapped in silence as he blankly stared up into her unassuming blue-gray eyes. A slow frown began to tug at his features. The physical similarities between her and her brother were startling at times. Thinking about the brunet made the frown etch more deeply.

"Please, may I sit with you?"

"Oh," Seifer jerked out of his thoughts a second time and shifted sideways to give the young woman amble room to sit; which she did, picking a spot not too far away or too close to the blonde. Seifer's jade eyes seemed to follow her every action, absently watching her smooth the lavander-hued robes over her knees with nervous hands. Noticing the rapt attention, Ellone blushed; just the faintest touch of pink over her cheekbones.

"I'm sorry about earlier," Her voice came out soft as she peeked at him from the corners of her eyes. "My father often doesn't think things through, and he has been increasingly willful since Squall's return. He's very happy, but his energy is going into the wrong things.."

Pale fingers nervously twisted the dark purple sash around her waist, Ellone continued to flick fleeting glances at him. The hazy, thoughtful intensity in the man's jade eyes made her unable to meet his gaze too long before her heart would flutter and her cheeks redden. "I know it is not my place to tell you this, but Squall was never kidnapped. Four years ago he left because--"

"--I know." Seifer continued to frown, pain flashed through his eyes that never left Ellone's profile. "Why are you telling me these things?"

Ellone opened her mouth to speak, but a passing servant made her hesitate. An awkward silence stretched as she waited for the person to leave. When alone, Ellone stood and reached to take his large tanned hand with her smaller, pale one. "I want to show you something."

Unable to refuse, Seifer stood and allowed himself to be led by the short woman. She took him off the garden path and into the dense foliage. Ferns and tall grasses brushed at their waists as Ellone pushed aside branches--moving deeper and deeper; until they came to a small clearing next to a thin stream of slow moving water. All around them a vine grew, blooming with white flowers with dark blue centers. A pleasant aroma wafted off the flowers; a faint, calming scent.

Ellone sat down near one of the venturing vines and tucked her legs next to herself. She absent-mindly picked one of the white flowers and distracted herself with picking at the leaves to avoid meeting Seifer's inquiring eyes. "Please sit."

Seifer curiously surveyed the secluded spot, wondering what Ellone wanted to show him. He sensed no mistrust in her actions and so obliged her request by sitting down, facing the stream. He stretched his legs out and leaned back on his arms, forgetting his state of undress and that his physical appeal affected more than just Squall.

"Squall and I use to play here as children," Ellone admitted, still picking at the flower. "As we grew older it became a safe haven to be alone, away from servants and our father."

Seifer peer questionably at her, but chose not to comment. He failed to see any importance in her words. Ellone braved a smile and tucked the flower into her hair before reaching into the folds of her robe to pull out a familiar silver pendant; Griever. She protectively curled her fingers around the cross and gazed distantly at the grass. "You asked me why I told you those things. It's because I know I can trust you.."

"You don't know that," The words carried a hint of scorn.

"Yes, I do." Ellone calmly disputed. She opened her hand and held Griever out toward Seifer. "This is a sorceress's tailsman. Griever blessed it with a protection spell and I gave this to Squall the day he left, knowing it would always protect him as long as he kept it close--but it will only protect those that Griever deems worthy. I _know_ it has protected you, so I know that Griever trusts you. I know that _I_ can trust you."

Seifer firmed his jaw, directing a glare at his toes. "You shouldn't. You have no idea who I am."

Ellone head bowed slightly, sending the flower tumbling to the ground. After a moment she smiled and bravely raised her gaze back to his hardened features. "No, I don't know anything about you. But I think it's safe to guess you are not really Squall's servant.."

Tensing, Seifer glanced side-long at the young woman. How much did she know?

"You seem more like his friend," She spoke, unknowingly easing Seifer's tension. Ellone tucked the pendant in her robes and carefully picked up the fallen flower. She tried to replace it into her hair but it fell back into her hands. "It must be hard to try and adapt to the life of a servant, but I can understand why you two lied. With you being a westerner it would be hard for Squall to maintain a friendship with you." A sudden annoyance marred her face. "You must have noticed the dislike some people carry for your land."

Seifer chuckled, startling Ellone out of her mild scowl and causing her to curiously stare at him. Seifer grinned, a playful glint in his jade eyes. "Quistis doesn't hide it well."

Ellone's brows came together, the only physical sign of her inner frown. Seifer's grin widened at the action; so painfully similar to what Squall often did. Ellone did not notice his expression, instead pointing a very harsh look on the little flower in her palm. "Yes her."

The distaste rang clear in her tone of voice, and Seifer arched an curious eyebrow. "Who is she, anyway?"

"Daughter to High Lord Trepe, the northern kingdom."

Not exactly the most useful piece of information. Seifer decided to nudge her into continuing, "And her and Squall.. "

"Years ago my father made a deal with High Lord Trepe, an alliance to secure trade between the two lands. To ensure the treaty they arranged a future marriage between Squall and Quistis. When Squall disappeared, the lord was not pleased. He accused my father of hiding Squall to back out of the deal. We've been on shaky ground with them sense. Laguna kept Quistis here to ensure war would not break out. He doesn't realize but she tells her father everything that goes on here. She keeps tallys of all our goods, keeps tabs on any armed guards we send out. I don't trust her."

"So if Squall doesn't marry her.." The sorrow in Seifer's words did not escape Ellone's notice.

Ellone mutely stared at him, the raw emotion in her eyes storming. Seifer force himself to look away with a silent curse. He did not need any further explanation. The gods sought to make his life as difficult and unfair as possible.

"Are there arranged marriages in your land?" Ellone eased the topic in another direction.

"No," Seifer picked idly at the grass, not noticing the way Ellone edged near. "Taking a wife from another land is not frowned upon, but any children born would be considered unfit to rule. His blood would be diluted. It is important for a pharaoh to have strong blood. The more pure the blood, the stronger the connection with the gods. But the pharaoh still does choose who he wants."

Ellone frowned somewhat, lifting the flower up to her eye-level. "It must be nice.. "

_Not when the pharaoh decides to bed your snake of a cousin_, Seifer quipped to himself but said nothing, instead plucking the flower from between Ellone's fingers. He turned toward her, leaning close to place the white blossom carefully in her brown hair, ensuring it would not fall again. A charming smile appeared when the girl blushed gloriously. "Why do you think that?"

Ellone blinked furiously at him, and Seifer maintained eye contact to watch the blue and gray storm as the emotions rushed through in her eyes. They were just like Squall's; so beautiful--and that dark brown hair, even if long, had felt exactly Squall's silken strands. Seifer was not prepared for what happened next. One second he had been admiring her physical features, the next moment Ellone had moved forward to lightly press her lips against his in an innocent kiss.

It felt good, Seifer couldn't deny that fact. After feeling so hated by all the easterners, being thoughtlessly brushed aside by Squall, the kiss was the comfort he wanted. He closed his eyes and embraced what little solace the kiss brought. A hand lifted to cup Ellone's cheek and gently guided her closer to make the contact between lips more firm. When he attempted to deep the kiss a rustling in the grass caused Ellone to jerk away from him.

"I'm sorry," She quickly apologized while glancing around them to ensure they were still alone. "I was just thinking about how nice it must be, to choose to be with someone you like, instead of being forced to be with someone else. I really don't know what came over me and--"

"It's alright," Seifer chuckled softly, politely turning his eyes away from her embarrassed flush. His jade eyes focused on her hand, that at some point during their kiss moved to press into his bare abdomen. Ellone quickly retracted her hand and, if possible, flamed more brightly. "I tend to have that effect on people."

Ellone only half-listened, nodding mindlessly to his words. "You look very nice today." Another blank nod. "You smell good too."

Seifer had to bite down on his lower lip to keep from laughing out loud at her unintentional rambling. "Why thank you. I'm glad someone took notice."

Ellone was pointedly looking away from him, letting the silence thicken. Slowly the laughter died out from Seifer's eyes and tiny thread of guilt began to weave itself around his conscious. He did not want to feel regret for kissing Ellone back, or for feeling arrogant at the compliments she gave. Yet like a broken record, Seifer's thoughts came back to Squall. "I should go.."

"We both should return," Ellone echoed, standing to brush the grass from her robes. "Please walk with me, I wish to hear more about your land and your gods. We don't have much documentation on them here.."

Seifer again found himself unable to refuse her harmless request. Ellone was so kind and he couldn't stand the idea of hurting her feelings by turning her down. He stood in silence and let her led the way out of the garden.

* * *

After beating on the wooden table a few more times, Squall had finally pulled himself together and dragged his feet back to his room. He expected to find a fuming blonde beyond the curtains, but only emptiness greeting him. The loathing glare Seifer had given before his depature and been like a knife to the heart. The last thing Squall wanted was for the other man to be angry with him. They both had come so far, afterall. The thought of everything they had gained falling into pieces did not sit well with Squall. He _had_ to find Seifer and apologize, to seek forgiveness. His heart was aching to explain himself to the blonde..

Squall had no idea where to look for the tall ex-prince. Seifer really had no where to go, so he shouldn't have gone far. The brunet wandered the hallways, peeking in various rooms and discreetly asking servants if they had seen the boisterous man. Only one pointed toward the large garden, speaking of recently walking past Seifer and Ellone sitting together.

Odd, Squall commented but put no further thought in to the image. He found the stone bench empty, but keen eyes noticed the disturbed grass leading off into the garden. Squall suddenly knew exactly where they were and headed down the invisible path that would lead to the hidden oasis. When he heard voices Squall hung back to try and spot the source--no harm in ensuring himself it was Ellone and Seifer before barging in and possible finding strangers instead.

Although spying what he hoped for, the sight made his heart cave in on itself. Unable to look away, Squall watched Seifer slip a flower into his sister's hair and her leaning forward to kiss him. The image burned in his mind--the movement of Seifer's hand on her face, of returning the kiss. Squall suddenly felt sick, turned and rushed out of the garden.

By the time Squall made it back to his room tears had marked out trails down his cheeks. He couldn't explain them. Squall had never felt the sickening twisting sensation in his gut or the heavy, painful thumping of his heart in his chest. The scene replayed itself over and over in his head. Seifer kissing Ellone. Again his eyes welled up with tears and Squall hastily wiped them away. Could the day get any worse?

"Squall?"

Yes, yes it could. Squall ignored the voice and leaned heavily against the frame of his window.

Footsteps sounded Quistis's approach. "Squall.."

Why did people take his silence as an invitation? Squall leaned his head against the wall, keeping his gaze and attention outside the window. He felt Quistis twine her arms around his torso from behind, but he paid them no mind. His mind continued to twist a knife into his heart by showing him the images again. Seifer kissing someone else--no longer did he acknowledge it was his sister. Why would it matter. Seifer had betrayed him. And after all his words of wanting to be together..

"You're mood is so dark," Quistis mused, head resting against his shoulder and lips near his ear. "Just what is it your are thinking about?"

Silence met her inquiry. Squall continued with his trainwreck of thoughts that had taken a hairpin turn. No, it was _his_ fault, not Seifer's. _He_ had unknowingly driven the blonde away. But it had been a string of misunderstandings--he had not meant to kick Seifer out of the room when Quistis came that first night; then at lunch he had only wanted to stop Seifer before he got himself into trouble. Why did Seifer have to make things so difficult? Why couldn't the blonde just slow down for a moment and let Squall try to work things out, instead of erupting in a fit every time an obstacle barred the way? A silent tear snuck out from the corner of his eye..

"Squall!" Quistis inquired in alarm, swinging around to stand in front of him, arms still wrapped about his chest. "What's wrong?"

"It's none of your business," He glowered, refusing to meet her gaze.

".. don't you ever feel the need to talk to someone? There must be so much going on in your head."

Quistis leaned against him, her arms shifting to wrap around his neck. Squall felt too tired, to weak in his heart to shove her aside. Eventually his cold attitude would deter her advances, but for now he pointedly ignored her. "They are _my_ problems."

"I only want to help, Squall. You can trust me.. "

His glare iced over, and he tilted his chin down to fix her with the cold fury of his cobalt eyes. Trust her? Just like he had trusted Seifer? His heart bled but his anger soared. "Seems I can't trust anyone these days."

A pair of laughs sliced through the tension. Both Squall and Quistis turned their gaze toward the doorway to see Seifer and Ellone entering. The two men exchanged a heated glare while Quistis curled more possessively around Squall. Ellone had the decency to be embarrassed, quickly bowing her head in apology and tugging on Seifer's forearm. Squall blue-gray eyes flooded with his mixed feelings, which all came out directed at the blonde man in seething glare. It was _half_ intentional. Squall wanted to share the sickening twist in his stomach. He wanted a fight.

It surprised Squall when Seifer didn't instantly fume in anger. The blonde looked angry for a moment, then his jade eyes softened and he looked away... defeated? Ellone dragged him back out of the room to give Squall and Quistis privacy. Squall scowled with obvious disappointment.

"Honestly," Quistis mused irritably while laying her head against Squall's chest--his cold front not deterring her in the least. "Why do you keep that man around? He is only going to continue embarrassing you.."

Squall finally acted, seizing the woman's wrist and with a cruel twist he flung her away. Quistis reeled backwards a few steps before stumbling over the folds of her dress. Hurt and outrage flashed over her face as she stared up from her fallen position on the floor. "Why do you treat me like this!? I have been nothing but supportive to you! I waited for your return all this time because I _love_ you! Why do you keep pushing me away?"

"Leave me," Flat and emotionless, Squall turned back toward to gaze out the window.

"Squall don't do this! Please!" She was crying now, but even tears didn't seem to bother the stoic prince. "Please, I love you, I won't leave."

Quistis climbed weakly back to her feet and reached for him. Squall whirled on her, knocking aside her extended arm. "I said leave me."

Sorrow gave way to anger, and Quistis summoned up her pride and stood straight. Her head tilted back, chin in the air with arrogance. She took a deep breath. "You've change Squall." Was the only thing she spat out before leaving the room. Silence fully greeted Squall, and for that the brunet was thankful..

**End Chapter.**

_AN: Aha, you all thought I had dressed Seifer up to seduce Squall..  
_

_Anyway. I'm not going to apologize for the lack of Seifer/Squall interaction. If people wanted smut there are plenty of tasteless fics out there to fill that need. I am not a fan of fics that just thrust two characters together in a mess of bodily fluids. I -like- plot. I -like- angst. I've had this storyline in my head for a long time, and I am not about to butcher it. As my first fic, it means something to me to finish it properly. I have to get out all these little icky story details, and if it bores you, go elsewhere._

_As for those that DO like this story, the next chapter will be between Seifer and Squall; in the same room and the same time! I make no promises though. Their perdicament is only going to get worse, la la.._


End file.
